Fairfax County police release
name of officer in fatal shooting after he drops suit
By Justin Jouvenal March 2
Fairfax County police released
the name Thursday of an officer involved in a fatal shooting in January after
he told a federal court that he would drop legal efforts to block making the
¬information public.
Master Police Officer Lance
Guckenberger, a 16-year veteran, fatally shot a man in Herndon on Jan. 16 after
police said the man lunged at officers with a knife following a standoff at his
home.
Police said the man had
previously shot two people and was holding a roommate hostage. He also set a
fire in the home, putting the roommate at risk.
[Man fatally shot after standoff
at Herndon home]
Police said Guckenberger was
involved in two previous ¬nonfatal shootings in 2005 and 2010. In both
instances, ¬prosecutors found the shootings were -justified.
Guckenberger filed a lawsuit in
early February, claiming that the imminent release of his name in the Herndon
shooting could put him at risk. Guckenberger cited threats other officers
across the country had received after ¬police-involved shootings and
use-of-force incidents.
A federal judge granted
¬Guckenberger a temporary restraining order but later rescinded it after
Fairfax County police said they were still working to complete a standard
threat assessment to ¬determine whether to release his name.
[Federal judge temporarily blocks
release of officer’s name in fatal police shooting]
Last Friday, Fairfax County
¬Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said that he found no credible threat
against Guckenberger and that he would inform the officer that he planned to
release his name.
Guckenberger could have ¬pursued
another injunction but chose not to, according to court filings.
“I’ve been transparent with the
officer throughout the entire process as I am with all officers in the same
situation,” Roessler said. “In this particular case, we’ve concluded a very
thorough risk assessment process. Obviously, there is no credible threat, so we
are abiding by the policy [of releasing his name].”
Last year, the Fairfax County Board
of Supervisors enacted a policy requiring the county police department to
release the names of officers involved in the use of deadly force within 10
days of an incident, except in instances in which there are credible threats to
officers’ safety.
The policy was adopted as part of
a wave of changes after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Springfield man, John
Geer, in 2013. Police did not release ¬officer Adam Torres’s name until a judge
ordered the department to do so, 16 months after the shooting. Torres
ultimately pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Guckenberger’s attorneys thanked
the police department for the thorough threat assessment, which was conducted
with the assistance of the FBI.
“Police officers who do their job
and saves lives under these types of extraordinary circumstances should be
afforded ¬appropriate protections and support that are no less than ¬members of
the community, especially where all the facts have not been made public due to
ongoing investigations,” said Amy -Conway-Hatcher, an attorney for
Guckenberger.
The issue of naming officers
involved in use-of-force incidents has become a flash point across the country
after national protests over fatal encounters between police and minorities.
Reformers say naming officers is
critical for transparency, but officers and their unions have said that it can
put police in harm’s way.
The criminal and administrative
probes are still underway for the fatal shooting involving Guckenberger.