Fairfax County's top prosecutor says he was thwarted in his criminal investigation of a fatal shooting by a county police officer by the county's refusal to release records to him.
Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh, in a letter to a U.S. senator made public Tuesday, said county attorneys refused to release internal affairs records of the officer who shot 46-year-old John Geer of Springfield in August 2013.
The Geer shooting has attracted the attention of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and others because no decision has been made on whether to charge the officer nearly 18 months after the shooting.
Morrogh said the refusal of the county attorney -- a separate office -- to cooperate forced him to refer the case to federal prosecutors.
Geer's family has filed a civil lawsuit.
