A former Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer was charged Monday with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man nearly two years ago.
A special grand jury in Fairfax County returned the indictment on Monday against Adam Torres, 32, in the shooting death of 46-year-old John Geer of Springfield, Virginia.
The grand jury listened to six days of testimony from almost 20 witnesses before returning the indictment. Four police officers who were on the scene, as well as Geer's father and friend, said Geer’s hands were raised above his shoulders when he was shot.
Adam Torres
Fairfax County PD
The indictment of Torres marks the first time an on-duty officer in Fairfax County will face criminal prosecution in connection with a shooting, The Washington Post reported.
After Geer's death in 2003, protests erupted and the police force faced intense criticism over a lack of transparency about its investigation. Earlier this month, Fairfax County police announced Torres had been fired.
The police department said Torres turned himself in on Monday evening and is being held without bond in the county jail.
The second-degree murder charges come amidst growing unrest against law enforcement after the killings of unarmed men, such as in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
"Justice is prevailing," John Geer’s father, Don Geer, told the Post. "I figured it was going to eventually happen. It’s unfortunate we had to wait so long for it to take place. But our judicial system is going through its process, and we will see justice served.”
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1LgQu2n
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