• 17
  • May
    2011

Less than a year ago, a young man was killed in the parking lot behind a restaurant. He had been leaving the lot in his vehicle when undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agents shot at his car. He was killed by one of the bullets.

His mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit last week, seeking a multi-million dollar settlement for the death of her son. The lawsuit named a number of individuals and agencies including the city of Los Angeles, DEA agents, and LA police officers. She believes that the officers were malicious and grossly negligent in their actions that killed her son.

There seems to be two differing stories regarding the incident last June. The lawsuit claims that the young man had been sitting in his vehicle behind the restaurant, waiting for a friend to arrive. But when he saw the officers with his friend, he began to drive away. It was then when the officers began shooting at his car.

However, the two officers involved believed that their lives were in danger prior to the fatal shooting. According to the police reports, the two officers had been detaining the friend when the young man struck one of the officers with his car. When he began to drive away, the officers shot at the vehicle.

No criminal charges have been filed because the District Attorney's office found that the two officers were acting in self-defense when they shot at the young man's car. However the civil lawsuit will determine whether the mother should be compensated. If it is found that the two officers were acting with reckless disregard, she could be entitled to a settlement award.

The loss of a loved one can never be erased, even with an award from a lawsuit. But compensation often allows a family to deal with some of the unexpected financial challenges that can arise with the death of a family member.

Source: Studio City Patch online, "Zachary Champommier's Mother Files $10-Million Wrongful Death Suit," AnnMarie Baranik, 09 May 2011