duckhunt, the costume question goes much further...
What screams out about this story is the omission about what Lee was wearing, among other details retained by LAPD. Apparently, they need time to spin.
Police Kill Actor at Halloween Party
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles police officer responding to a noisy Halloween party at a mansion north of Beverly Hills shot and killed an actor, who police said pointed what turned out to be a fake gun at him, police said Sunday. Anthony Dwain Lee, 39, who appeared in the 1997 movie "Liar, Liar" and on several television shows including "NYPD Blue," was shot several times early Saturday by Officer Tarriel Hopper who fired through a glass door from an exterior hallway, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. The shooting took place about 1 a.m. at a crowded party attended by scores of costumed guests, many of them actors and other entertainment industry professionals, at a mansion known as "the Castle" for its spires and stained-glass windows, the Los Angeles Times reported. It was not immediately known who owned the house or if the owner attended the party. "He was a Buddhist. He hated violence. It is amazing he died this way," Mitch Hale, a writer whose play "Buffalo Soldier" starred Lee and earned him a local acting award, told the newspaper. "He was an incredibly gifted actor and person. It's devastating ... Why did they shoot someone at a Halloween party?" Police said Hopper and Officer Natalie Humphreys were attempting to find the owner of the home in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles after neighbors complained about the party. The officers were at the rear of the house when Hopper looked into a small room and spotted three people. Police said that when Lee saw the officers he pulled what looked like a handgun and pointed it at Hopper, who, in fear for his life, fired several shots from his service pistol, wounding Lee, the LAPD statement said. Lee was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Officer Charlotte Broughton, a spokeswoman for the LAPD, said many of the party-goers were in costume. One guest told the Times that some of guests were dressed as cops, but it was not known if Lee was wearing a costume. It was also not clear if Lee realized Hopper was a real officer with a real gun. The police department said Lee's supposed weapon was a fake, "a replica semiautomatic pistol, dark in color." The shooting is being investigated by the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division and a team from the district attorney's office. Another party-goer, Robert Hull, told the Times, "It was a shock that an officer would shoot at such a party. This was an exclusive party with security. Some of these people are making six figures, and this officer saw a toy gun at a Halloween costume party and opened fire." Another of the victim's friends, Mary Lin, told the newspaper, "His biggest fear was getting killed by cops, because he's a tall black man." Lee's friends said on Sunday they were planning to hold a candlelight vigil in his honor Monday evening.
