HUNTINGTON BEACH The mother of a man shot and killed by police at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex Thursday said officers used excessive force on her mentally ill son.

Standing in the park where Steven Schiltz, 29, of Huntington Beach was shot, his mother Angela Hernandez in a news conference on Saturday said she wants answers from the Huntington Beach Police Department.

“They did not have to shoot him like that,” Hernandez said. “There are other means to detain someone, why did they have to go that far?”

Huntington Beach police were called to the busy sports complex on Goldenwest Street at about 7:30 p.m. for reports of a man running through the park and chasing children on the various sports fields, authorities said.

Authorities said witnesses reported that Schiltz was hitting trees with a bat-like object and chasing children with a broken bottle.

At one point, Schiltz ran to fields where children were playing and officers intercepted him near bleachers that were filled with people watching a soccer practice, police said.

Two officers opened fire as Schiltz was approaching a large group of people, police said. He died at the scene.

Hernandez said her son has a history of mental illness but was not violent and especially loved being around children.

“I find it hard to believe he was chasing kids,” she said.

She said her son, who grew up in South Orange County, lived with her in Huntington Beach and was at the park that night to play in an adult softball game.

Hernandez was joined by her lawyer, Michael Guisti, who said he plans to file a wrongful death claim against the City of Huntington Beach so they can find out what happened that evening.

“There were 200 people present that evening so there has to be a lot of good information out there,” he said.

Guisti said Schiltz had lived in Huntington Beach for about six years and was well-known at the park and was possibly known by police.

A youth soccer coach who witnessed the event told the Register that he felt that the police were “trying everything necessary not to shoot the man and he didn’t comply.”

Orange Court Superior court records show that Hernandez had filed a restraining order against her son in 2013 after reporting he had threatened relatives with a baseball bat and other items.

Hernandez on Saturday declined to comment on the incident but said she no longer has a restraining order against her son. She said her son was a kind person who was outgoing, funny and sociable.

“I’m here to seek justice for my son,” she said.

The shooting is under investigation by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, which investigates all officer-involved shootings.

Anyone who witnessed this incident or has any information about events leading up to it can call detectives at 714-647-7055.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com