By Matthew Barakat
Associated Press
FAIRFAX, Va. — A former police officer collapsed in a northern Virginia courtroom Wednesday morning after being denied bail on a murder charge in the 2013 shooting death of an unarmed man.
Adam Torres, 32, fainted after being denied bail and as a judge scheduled a December trial on charges that Torres wrongfully shot and killed John Geer, 46, of Springfield in a standoff triggered by a domestic dispute call. As the lawyers debated a trial date, Torres, who had been standing for several minutes, collapsed, first hitting a chair before landing flat on his back. As one bailiff cleared the courtroom, another checked his vital signs as Torres lay on the floor with his eyes closed.
Torres shot and killed Geer, 46, in August 2013 after a report of a domestic dispute. Witnesses, including other officers, said Geer was unarmed and had his hands up when he was shot. Torres told investigators he thought Geer might have a weapon hidden in his waist.
Police said Torres, who had been an officer since 2006, was fired on July 31.
Police have said Geer was white, and so is Torres. Race hasn’t been raised as a factor in the shooting.
Before collapsing, Torres had been nodding silently as Judge Stephen Shannon explained why he was denying bond. Shannon said state law assumes bond will be denied on a murder charge, and Shannon had concerns that Torres is a danger to the community, in part because of evidence that he had been under severe stress and deteriorating mental health at the time of the shooting.
Torres was indicted Monday, two years after the shooting. Fairfax County faced intense criticism during that time for a lack of transparency about its investigation. U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned county officials about their actions.
Geer’s family criticized the county and said officials stonewalled the investigation. The delay prompted congressional scrutiny of the Fairfax County Police Department’s actions. In April, the county agreed to settle the family’s lawsuit for nearly $3 million, the largest settlement in Virginia history in connection with a police shooting.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press