A police officer who shot a man during a domestic dispute call in Fairfax County in 2013 is no longer employed by the county, the police department said Friday.
Adam Torres shot John Geer on August 29, 2013. Geer's partner had called police, reporting a domestic dispute; the officers who responded to Geer's home say that Geer had a gun and threatened police.
As negotiations continued, Geer lowered his hands. At that time, Torres fired once, strking Geer.
Geer went inside and then did not respond to police. Later, police entered the home and found him dead.
The shooting led to protests against Fairfax County police. It also led to the creation of a county commission to review police department policies and the release of information to the public.
And Fairfax County paid Geer's family almost $3 million earlier this year to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit.
Torres had told investigators he had seen Geer's hands go toward his waist, as if reaching for a weapon. However, Geer's father and other police officers said Geer's hands were held up.
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Police initially refused to release information about the shooting and refused to turn over records to Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh. For more than a year, police would not say which officer had shot Geer.
The officer's name was only released after Geer's family filed their suit, initially seeking $12 million.
"It was a tragedy that should not have happened," said Sharon Bulova, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, when the settlement was announced. "It was tragic for John Geer, his loved ones and his family, and, frankly, tragic for Fairfax County."
Meanwhile, Morrogh has referred the case to federal prosecutors. The shooting is still under investigation by those prosecutors and by Fairfax County internal investigators.
