Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - The Governor's Office has confirmed they have asked the State Inspector General to look into the firing of Austin Edwards. Edwards killed three people in California in November, and drove off with a teenage girl, before law enforcement say he killed himself as they closed in.
Edwards left the State Police in October. A State Police review of his hiring found "human error" in the hiring process, leading to an "incomplete database query." However, State Police also say Edwards did not disclose anything that would have prevented him from being hired.
In multiple reports, the Los Angeles Times has reported that Edwards both disclosed to State Police that he had voluntarily checked himself into a mental health facility in 2016, and that he had also been detained for a psychiatric evaluation the same year for threatening himself and his father.
Edwards was employed by the Washington County Sheriff's Department at the time of the killings. The Sheriff's Department says Edwards' previous employers did not raise any issues.
