Ex-Virginia cop accused in man's death faints in court

Nikki Burdine | WUSA-TV, Washington

FAIRFAX, Va. — A former police officer in northern Virginia who is accused of shooting and killing an unarmed man in 2013, fainted in court after he was denied bond Wednesday.

Adam Torres, 32, fainted and fell to the ground after he was denied bond and a judge set his murder trial for Dec. 14. Torres is facing second-degree murder charges that he wrongfully shot and killed John Geer, 46, of Springfield, Va., in a standoff stemming from a call about a domestic dispute in 2013.

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.

Witnesses — including other officers — of the August 2013 shooting 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 was an officer since 2006, was fired July 31.

Torres was indicted Monday, two years after the shooting. Earlier this year, Fairfax County paid $3 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed by Geer's family, the largest settlement in Virginia history in connection with a police shooting.

Both Torres and Geer are white, so race wasn't an issue in this case.

The county faced criticism for a lack of transparency about its investigation.

Geer's family was happy the former officer faced charges but believed the indictment should have come sooner.

Before Torres' bond was denied, the prosecutor told the judge that Torres "shot a man with his hands up. I think that makes him dangerous."

The prosecutor also suggested that Torres had a deteriorating mental state around the time of the shooting. Torres was fighting with his wife, saying she was cheating on him prior to shooting Geer, according to the prosecutor.

His wife refused to talk to reporters after the hearing, other than telling them, "Go away. Far, far away."

Contributing: The Associated Press.