A legal settlement stemming from a wrongful death in 2006 will cost Fairfax County $2 million, recently released documents show.
The case involved the January 2006 death of 37-year-old Salvatore Culosi, who was killed by a Fairfax County SWAT officer as Culosi was being arrested for betting on sports. Culosi, an optometrist with no prior record, was shot outside of his Fairfax home, according to Virginia Lawyers Weekly.
The SWAT officer claimed the death was an accident, but experts on behalf of Culosi’s family were able to show that a purely accidental fatal shooting would have been nearly impossible.
The $2 million settlement was approved at a Board of Supervisors meeting in January, and will go to Culosi’s parents, beneficiaries and three siblings.
