Fairfax, Va. – The family of a Springfield, Virginia man shot and killed by Fairfax County Police will soon know more about the officer who pulled the trigger. The family of John Geer is suing the police department for wrongful death.
On Friday, the family’s attorney’s asked the judge to force the county to turn over all factual documents from two internal affairs investigations of Fairfax County Officer Adam Torres. Judge Randy Bellows gave the county until Feb. 20, 2015 to hand over the documents.
The first set of documents is from the police department’s ongoing probe of the August 2013 shooting. The department’s internal investigation started in September, after the family filed suit against Torres, the department and the chief of police.
“The only way to find out what happened is from the police department,” family attorney Ben DiMuro says.
The second set of documents is about a heated argument Torres got into with a deputy commonwealth’s attorney five months before the shooting. DiMuro says that outburst shows the officer had some anger issues in the past.
“It raises a reasonable suspicion that perhaps these issues carry forward into the future,” DiMuro says.
While Torres is being sued for wrongful death in civil court, the Department of Justice is still deciding whether he should face criminal charges. Torres has defended his actions in statements, saying Geer lowered his arms, and police knew there was a gun in the home. Several other officers and witnesses at the scene paint a different picture, saying Geer’s hands were at face level when he was shot.
The police department and county have been criticized for the time it has taken to investigate this case.
Jeff Stewart was Geer’s friend and was at the home when the shooting happened. He said the police need to be held accountable for their actions.
“The fact that we’re 17 months after this and we’re still fighting for information, is unacceptable,” Stewart says, adding the Geer family is pleased by the judge’s ruling.
The case was filed by Geer’s partner, Maura Harrington.
