Ex-Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in John Geer Case

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- A former Fairfax County Police officer has pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a Springfield man in August 2013, according to The Washington Post.

John Geer was shot by then-Officer Adam Torres, 33, who had served on the force for seven years. Geer, 46, was unarmed when he was shot and killed. Police had rushed to the Geer home in Springfield on Aug. 29, 2013 after a call about a domestic dispute. Torres has said Geer’s hands were down and moving toward his waist, while other officers on the scene at the standoff at Geer’s home have said his hands were up when he was shot.

Torres was to stand trial for murder Monday, but entered the involuntary manslaughter guilty plea, the Post reported.

Information about the case was stagnant until U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R) of Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, wrote to Fairfax Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. to demand a full accounting of the internal investigation. Grassley reminded the chief that “questions about the use of deadly force should be handled in a manner that reinforces public confidence in law enforcement.”

Torres was initially put on administrative leave after the shooting; the county paid nearly $3 million to Geer’s family, to settle a wrongful death lawsuit, according to several media reports. The county fired Torres on July 31 last year and he turned himself in. Torres fainted in the courtroom last summer when a judge denied bail.

A sentencing hearing is set for June 24. Torres has been in jail since his arrest last summer.

Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department issued the following statement Monday with regard to the court action in the Torres trial:

"My thoughts and prayers are with the Geer family, the friends of Mr. Geer, our community, and the men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department as the justice system concludes its course in this tragic loss of life.

The men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department have fully cooperated with all authorities during this investigation. The action of one former employee is not reflective of the honorable work done day-in and day-out by all members of our Department."

Read the entire Washington Post story here.

PHOTO of Adam Torres courtesy of FCPD