Virginia divorce filings reveal 2022 gun incident and mental-health concerns around Justin Fairfax

Court filings reveal that in 2022 former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax bought a handgun with money meant for his children’s riding lessons and was later found in a park during an apparent mental-health crisis; a Fairfax County judge noted isolation, drinking and a sense of hopelessness, and granted joint legal custody while ordering him to vacate the family home as divorce proceedings continued. The court also scheduled a show-cause hearing, and police said paperwork in the case may have spurred the shooting in which Fairfax killed his estranged wife Cerina Fairfax and himself days after those proceedings.