Man, 19, Fatally Shot by Off-Duty Officer in Mission Viejo

An off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer shot and killed a 19-year-old man Saturday during an altercation at a Mission Viejo apartment complex, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.

The 1:30 a.m. shooting occurred during a fight between the officer, who was not identified, and four or six males, said sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino.

The victim, identified by sheriff’s officials as Brassim Chamit of Laguna Hills, was shot once in the head and died at Mission Viejo Medical Center.

Amormino said the officer was drawn outside his apartment by the sounds of a disturbance and saw four or six males arguing with other residents.

Amormino said the officer and the other men began arguing. A fight then broke out, and Amormino said the “officer’s duty weapon discharged,” fatally wounding Chamit. The officer suffered a cut lip.

Amormino said the officer is a 2 1/2 -year veteran of Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security. A law enforcement source said the officer works at Los Angeles International Airport.

The shooting remained under investigation Saturday and no arrests had been made. Amormino said sheriff’s investigators will forward their findings to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

The incident occurred at the Madrid Apartments, a sprawling, nine-building complex in the 28000 block of Los Alisos Boulevard.