Cpl. Allan "AJ" DeVillena II Death Settlement "Business Decision"

Palm Springs settles Marine shooting lawsuit for $2.6M
The Desert Sun
Brett Kelman
September 1, 2015

Palm Springs has agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of Cpl. Allan "AJ" DeVillena II, a Marine who was shot by a police officer who dove through the window of DeVillena’s moving car in 2012.

This is the third time the city has settled a lawsuit involving police Officer Chad Nordman.

Attorneys negotiated the settlement during an eleventh-hour conference on Monday. If the deal had not been brokered, the lawsuit would have gone to trial next week.

City Attorney Patrick Desmond described the settlement as a "business decision," made by the city's insurance company. Desmond said the city "stands behind" the officers who killed DeVillena, and blamed the Marine for the shooting.

“Given the actions of Mr. DeVillena, it was reasonable for both officers to respond with deadly force to defend themselves,” Desmond said in a prepared statement “This was a tragic event that could have been avoided had Mr. DeVillena not placed the officers’ lives in danger.”
read more here