Bijan Ghaisar Remembered By Family, Friends 4 Years After Shooting

WASHINGTON, DC — Since the fatal shooting of Bijan Ghaisar by U.S. Park Police, family and friends of the McLean accountant gather at the Lincoln Memorial, once one of his favorite places. That tradition continued on the fourth anniversary of the Nov. 17, 2017 shooting, as a crowd gathered Wednesday for a vigil to celebrate Ghaisar and to call for prosecution of the involved officers.

Ghaisar had been shot multiple times by Park Police after fleeing a crash in which his vehicle was struck by another vehicle. Ghaisar's family said he was unarmed when officers fired ten shots at him.

Charges were recently dropped against the two Park Police officers who fired shots at Ghaisar — officers Lucas Vinyard and Alejandro Amaya. In Alexandria federal court, U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton granted Supremacy Clause immunity, stating in the court opinion that the officers' decision to discharge their weapons was "necessary and proper."

Court documents indicate the pursuit and shooting of Ghaisar happened after Ghaisar's Jeep had been rear ended by another vehicle on the George Washington Memorial Parkway near Slaters Lane in the City of Alexandria. Ghaisar fled from the scene south on the parkway, and the hit-and-run driver called 911 to report the crash.

Vineyard and Amaya were on patrol and told by dispatch to Ghaisar. The dispatcher initially said Ghaisar's Jeep was the striking vehicle but then corrected the information. After encountering Ghaisar's vehicle on Washington Street, the officers began pursuing Ghaisar. The court documents indicate the officers' superiors did not tell them to end the pursuit.

Fairfax County Police, who assisted during the pursuit but did not shoot at Ghaisar, released police cruiser footage from the pursuit. The video showed Ghaisar being stopped several times by Park Police. In these encounters, two officers approached Ghaisar's car with weapons drawn before Ghaisar drove away.

During the final stop at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt, two officers fired shots at him while he tried to drive away. As stated in court documents, Ghaisar's vehicle lurched toward Amaya, who then fired at Ghaisar "fearing for his life." The Jeep stopped but again moved forward, leading both officers to shoot at Ghaisar.

Ghaisar died 10 days later after suffering several gunshots to the head and severe brain damage.

The police-involved shooting was investigated by the FBI, but the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute the case. After the federal prosecution did not happen, Fairfax County's Commonwealth's Attorney worked to get a grand jury indictment against the officers with one count of manslaughter and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm for each.

The federal judge noted in his opinion that Ghaisar "appeared intoxicated" during the pursuit, crossed the double yellow line multiple times, was speeding in a residential neighborhood, didn't stop at a stop sign, and drove away multiple times when Amaya had his hand on the Jeep door. That same judge had postponed the Ghaisar family's civil case in 2020, according to the Washington Post.

While the charges against the officers were dismissed by the federal judge, Attorney General Mark Herring and Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano are appealing the decision in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ghaisar's family and the prosecutors are also asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to reconsider the Justice Department's previous decision not to prosecute the officers.

Reps. Jennifer Wexton and Don Beyer, two congressional representatives in Northern Virginia, were among the vigil attendees. The two representatives have supported prosecution of the officers along with the Ghaisar family.

Bijan Ghaisar's sister Negeen Ghaisar spoke at the vigil about the family's continued push for justice.

"We are committed to justice in my brother Bijan's case and to make sure that this does not happen to other innocent people in this country," Negeen Ghaisar told NBC4.