Marine From San Jose Fatally Shot By Police In Palm Springs
PALM SPRINGS (CBS SF) -- The Riverside County coroner's office confirmed Tuesday that a U.S. Marine who was shot and killed by police officers in Palm Springs early on Saturday was a San Jose resident.
Marine Cpl. Allan DeVillena II, 22, died at 2:08 a.m. Saturday, after suffering gunshot wounds during a confrontation with two officers in a parking garage in Palm Springs, the coroner's office reported.
Two police officers shot and killed DeVillena after he ignored their demands that he stop his car and then rammed one officer with his car, according to Palm Springs police.
At 1:59 a.m. Saturday, two bike patrol officers, out to observe the closing of area bars in downtown Palm Springs, heard people yelling inside a parking structure and walking toward a black Chrysler 300, police said.
The officers then recognized two men whom they had earlier suspected of public intoxication but allowed to leave without incident, police said.
The men, who had entered the car, then yelled derogatory words at the officers, who got off their bikes and approached the car. The driver, later identified as DeVillena, refused to obey the officer's command to shut off the engine and then started to maneuver the car, police said.
One officer leapt into the passenger side window and was partially inside the car. The driver continued to drive anyway and then accelerated the car toward the other officer and hit him, police said.
The driver finally crashed into the garage's exit after both police officers, in fear of their safety, had fired their service guns at him, police said.
An emergency medical crew soon arrived, but DeVillena was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The male passenger of the car was not harmed, but police arrested him for public intoxication and an outstanding misdemeanor warrant.
Soon after the shooting, police were contacted by a person who claimed to have been robbed of his wallet and cell phone in downtown Palm Springs.
Police later found the missing phone inside DeVillena's car and recovered the theft victim's identification card and ATM card from inside DeVillena's pants pocket, police said.
Family members and friends paid tribute to DeVillena, who had been stationed at a Marine base in Twentynine Palms, Calif., about 20 miles northeast of Palm Springs, with a memorial page and posts on Facebook.
DeVillena, whose nickname was "AJ," is shown on the page in a photo standing at attention in his khaki and green service uniform and garrison cap and in another picture smiling while clothed in his blue dress formal uniform.
"The loss of our nephew, Allan DeVillena II, at such an early age is really sad for all of us," posted Elle Roque, who said he was DeVillena's uncle.
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