Motorists honked at the scene in front of Seven Gold Liquor store, an unlikely place for a remembrance, as they sped past on the busy thoroughfare. Store customers looked perplexed as they tried to figure out what was happening.

Still, on a chilly evening in early January, nearly 150 people gathered by the wooden awning of the strip mall liquor store in La Habra, Calif. Spilling into the parking lot, faces damp with tears, they were there to bid goodbye to Michael Sungman Cho, a 25-year-old UCLA graduate who was shot to death by police officers at the same location, five days earlier during an encounter on New Year’s Eve.

In the hours and days following the shooting, police department officials elicited bereaved and aggravated responses from family members and friends who sought an explanation for Cho’s death. Detailed information regarding the shooting was slow in coming, said La Habra Police Chief Dennis Kies, as it was withheld from the public until witness interviews could be completed.

After four days, Kies convened a public forum in Garden Grove at the offices of the Korean American Federation of Orange County to address questions and concerns raised by family, friends, news media and interested Korean American community members.

Kies provided a description of what transpired at the shooting, and answered questions regarding the department’s investigation into circumstances surrounding the fateful afternoon. While the police narrative left room for further questions, the following explanation, based on witness accounts and reports filed by the officers involved in the shooting, was related by Kies.

At about 1 p.m. on Dec. 31, La Habra Police Department dispatch received a 911 call regarding multiple acts of car vandalism occurring along Walnut Street near Whittier Boulevard. The unidentified tipster said he witnessed “an adult Asian male kicking car doors, windows and bumpers, as well as ripping windshield wiper blades off of vehicles,” Kies said. The caller also provided a physical description of the subject and his clothing. Patrol officers responded to the area, but found no one.

The same tipster called again about an hour later, saying the same person responsible for the vandalism was now at the intersection of Walnut Street and Whittier Boulevard, carrying a tire iron.

The first officer arrived at the intersection, and met the caller who proceeded to point out the suspect, later identified as Michael Cho. He was standing outside of the Seven Gold Liquor Store at 545 W. Whittier Blvd.

The officer parked his car, drew his gun and approached Cho on foot, calling out to him to drop the tire iron. Cho did not heed the command, and appeared agitated, according to Kies. A second officer arrived, and also ordered Cho to drop the tire iron. He then turned and walked, first, toward the liquor store entrance, then redirected toward Whittier Boulevard.

On foot, one of the officers circled around the squad cars and the driveway to try and intercept Cho before he reached the street. At that point, according to Kies, Cho “advanced toward the officer, who was a few feet away, and raised the tire iron above his head in a manner which looked as if he was going to strike.”