Fairfax County Cop Asks FBI To Release Park Police Shooting Video

FORT HUNT, VA — U.S. Park Police fatally shot a McLean man in Fort Hunt last month and now Fairfax County's police chief wants the FBI to release video of the shooting.

Bijan Ghaisar, 25, was involved in a crash on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Alexandria on Nov. 17 and fled the scene, Park Police said. A chase ensued and ended at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue.

Two Park Police officers then shot Ghaisar three times in the head. He suffered severe brain damage and died 10 days later. His family said in a statement to The Washington Post that Ghaisar wasn't armed and that they were still waiting for an explanation for the shooting.

Fairfax County officers providing backup did not fire their weapons.

The FBI is now investigating the shooting, and county police Chief Edwin Roessler said at a news conference on Monday that his officers, who provided backup in the pursuit, obtained in-car video of the shooting. Roessler said he wants the FBI to release the video before it finishes its investigation, which might take months.

An FBI spokeswoman said she couldn't say if or when the video will be released.

Roessler stressed that he has full confidence that the FBI will conduct a thorough investigation and he understands that the FBI cannot immediately make an important piece of evidence public now, while officers are still being interviewed for the investigation. After those interviews are completed, though, he recommended that the FBI release the video even if its investigation is not fully complete at that point.

Roessler said he favors releasing the video in the name of transparency.

He acknowledged that he could release the video himself because it's his agency's property but said he did not want to interfere with the FBI probe.

Image courtesy Ghaisar family