Fairfax County Police Will Release Officer's Name in Herndon Shooting

HERNDON, VA — Fairfax County Police say they will release the name of a police officer involved in a Jan. 16 shooting in Herndon after an investigation determined that there was no credible threat to the officer, but it will be up to the courts to determine the timing.

The name of the officer, who had sued the police department to stay anonymous, will be released "after [Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler] meets with the officer and after the Chief notifies a federal court judge," according to a report from the Fairfax County Police Department.

"No credible threat to the officer has been found," the report states. "The timing of the name release is dependent upon the court at this point."

The dispute stems from a standoff in Herndon last month in which the officer shot to death a man who had barricaded himself in a town home on Covered Wagon Lane and injured three people, two of whom had been shot, according to police. Standard department procedure is to release the name of an officer involved in a fatal shooting within 10 days of the incident, but extenuating circumstances prompted police to delay that release to investigate whether the officer's safety was at risk if the officer's name were to be released.

Image via FCPD