The killing of John Geer now
looks unmistakably like a police cover up
IN BROAD daylight and at close
range, three Fairfax County police officers saw a fourth officer, Adam Torres,
shoot John Geer once in the chest in August 2013. Two other witnesses, Mr.
Geer’s father and a friend, also saw it. All five of those witnesses agreed
that Mr. Geer, who had a holstered handgun at his feet, had his hands up at the
moment Officer Torres pulled the trigger.
Mr. Geer, a 46-year-old father of
two, committed no known crime that day. He had been speaking calmly with the
officers for almost three-quarters of an hour when the lethal shot was fired.
He then bled to death just inside the doorway of his home.
That was more than 17 months ago,
and still there has been no accounting for Mr. Geer’s death. No charges. No
indictment. No prosecution. And no information until last week, when the
police, complying with a judge’s order, finally released thousands of
documents.
Those documents provide a stark
picture: Only Officer Torres contended that Mr. Geer made a sudden movement as
if going for a gun.
Everyone involved in this case
has dropped the ball and dodged responsibility, enabling what now looks like a
coverup in a case of police impunity.
The police, who did not seek
medical treatment for Mr. Geer or retrieve his body for more than an hour,
falsely claimed Mr. Geer had “barricaded” himself inside his house after he was
shot, then stonewalled prosecutors and the public for months.
The top prosecutor in Fairfax,
Ray Morrogh, punted the case to the feds over a supposed conflict of interest
involving a courthouse shouting match between Officer Torres and a
rank-and-file prosecutor. That seems a far-fetched reason not to pursue the
case.
The feds — first the U.S.
Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, then the Justice Department’s Civil Rights
Division — sat on the case for months more, saying nothing.
Fairfax’s County’s governing
body, the Board of Supervisors, seems incapable of getting its own employees —
namely the police and the County Attorney’s office — to conduct themselves
responsibly and transparently. The supervisors have managed nothing beyond
tut-tutting that things don’t look quite right and calling for a review of
policies.
The Wall Street Journal reported
recently that Fairfax, one of the largest police departments in the nation,
does not regard police-involved shootings as an “actual offense” and therefore
does not report them to the FBI — part of a pattern among law enforcement
agencies that results in no reliable statistics on the number of people police
kill.
That mind-set seems to have
infected virtually every agency in Fairfax, in addition to the feds, that
should have stepped up to see that justice was done in the Geer case. The case
should be presented to a jury, which can weigh Officer Torres’s account against
those of other witnesses. The delay and obfuscation represent a travesty of
justice.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
Time for Feds to get involved-
for this and any other suspicious police killing.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
There are people in law
enforcement who should never have been issued a gun and the authority to use
it. Remember Drew Peterson? Darren Wilson? Then there's Timothy Loehmann, a
rookie cop whose former cop boss said was unfit for duty and likely never would
be. His shooting of young Tamir Rice could go down as the fastest murder in
police history. The video of that tragedy leaves little room for doubt. The
entire organization is in desperate need of an overhaul. The fact that the
police are unhappy, to say the least, about being videoed by the public is the
exact reason why more should be doing just that. There are too many unarmed
citizens being shot and killed by police. Their 'shoot to kill' mandate needs
to disappear. This is all going downhill far too quickly.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
It's funny how every time I ask
who people have contacted about this, what they have done to change things, or
ask for help making something happen, all I get is crickets. What's a word for
people who talk a lot, but do nothing?
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
Mr. Geer didn't assault anyone
before he was shot. Why hasn't the DOJ pursued this case? Why hasn't our
president weighed in? Oh. I see.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
There will always be good
officers that make bad decisions and bad officers that abuse power. It's what
occurs after these incidents that needs to change in this county. While this
investigation seems to have been completed in a fair a impartial manner, the
people cannot be expected to trust that this will always be the case. That
said, there is no excuse for the obstruction of both state and federal
investigations. If this county will not implement a policy of independent
investigation when an officer takes a life then they at the very least need to
have an oversight committee. The SUPERVISORS (using that term loosely) need to have a
policy allowing 90 days for the department to complete an investigation. The
COMPLETE details then need to be given to a citizens review board. This board
could be made up of community leaders or possibly retired police, judges or
lawyers. The committee would review the facts and then forward their findings
and any recommendations to the Commonwealth Attorney. I encourage you to
endorse independent oversight and use the email addresses below and
respectfully tell the Supervisors how you feel.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
OK--Washington Post. You and
every TV news person covered the Missouri event 24/7 non-stop. However, we
didn't have that type of coverage for Mr. Geer and you didn't even put these
current articles on the front page. I haven't heard news coverage on TV. What
about equality for Mr. Geer. Could it be because he is a White man? Before
everyone reacts to that question, just think about it. When a White cop causes
the death of a Black person, whether armed or unarmed, whether suspcious
behavior or not, this country reacts. You react with civil unrest and
accusations, whether unfounded or proven. In this instance, there has been
little coverage. So people--where is the outrage for Geer and his family? Where
is the media coverage of the same level as you demonstrated for others? I am
angry with media and you mostly report with your own opinions--few of you have
the right to the name of "journalist" because you don't know the true
meaning of journalism. Mr. Geer did nothing to be shot he and and his family
deserve all the respect and equality as you have provided in other instances.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
"Mr. Geer did nothing to be
shot he and and his family deserve all the respect and equality as you have
provided in other instances."
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
At least there is no wonder why
the public DOES NOT TRUST POLICE!. They lie, kill, molest and cover up-in the
name of the policeman brotherhood.
This place is the beginnings of a
little Mexico.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
For those who are interested in
how law enforcement has become "hardened" over the years, I strongly
recommend reading "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of
America's Police Forces" written by Post blogger Radley Balko.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
I served numerous arrest and
search warrants over my career--mostly with one or two other detectives and a
uniform or two as backup. Today, the overwhelming majority are served after a
SWAT team "secures" the location--even if the violation is for some
non-violent offense.
I make no judgment on that evolution just an
observation that what was once done by an adequate number of mere mortals is
now performed by a highly-trained and well-armed team of tactical folks who
operate at a higher level of anticipation, perhaps even expectation, than a
situation requires.
From
the comments section of the Washington Post
Essentially, once a person
becomes a police officer, it's total immunity. The officer can lie, cheat,
steal, beat his wife and your wife too. He
literally can commit rape, robbery and murder while not ever fearing
retribution. Then retire on a full
pension and health care.
