Bijan Ghaisar's Family Calls For Justice 5 Years After Fatal Shooting

FORT HUNT, VA — Five years after Bijan Ghaisar was fatally shot by two U.S. Park Police officers in Fort Hunt, his family and friends have not relented in their call for justice. Family and friends will gather at the Lincoln Memorial at 7 p.m. Thursday for their annual vigil.

Ghaisar, a 25-year-old accountant from McLean, was shot multiple times by Park Police on Nov. 17, 2017 during a pursuit down the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Ghaisar had left the scene of a crash in which his vehicle was rear-ended by a rideshare driver on the parkway at Slaters Lane in Alexandria.

Ghaisar's family said he was unarmed when Officers Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard fired 10 shots at him at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt. He died 10 days later at the hospital. The incident was partially captured on police cruiser video released by Fairfax County Police.

Since his death, Ghaisar's family and friends have been seeking accountability and information on why the two officers fired shots at Ghaisar. According to the Washington Post, a civil suit against Park Police has not yet been decided, and the two involved officers have been on paid administrative leave.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not seek federal criminal civil rights charges against the officers, and the Department of Justice indicated this year it wouldn't reopen the case.

After the federal investigation was closed in 2019, prosecution by Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano led to involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm charges against both officers. But when prosecution was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, a federal judge dismissed the case in October 2021. The commonwealth's appeal in the case was later dropped by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

The annual vigils on the anniversary of the shooting have happened at the Lincoln Memorial, a place Ghaisar enjoyed visiting. The vigil will be attended by Descano, Rep. Don Beyer, Rep. Jennifer Wexton and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, elected officials who have been supported the Ghaisars' pursuit for accountability against the Park Police officers.

Beyer, Wexton, and Sens. Mark Warner and Time Kaine released a joint statement on the fifth anniversary of Ghaisar's fatal shooting.

"While we appreciate that the current leadership of the Department of the Interior has taken several positive steps to ensure that the failures that led to the tragic death of this young man don’t happen again, we remain deeply disappointed that the Ghaisar family’s pleas for justice and closure have not yet been answered," the elected officials stated. "Bijan’s friends and family deserve closure for the killing of Bijan, which includes making sure that the individuals responsible for his death are finally held accountable."

The members of Congress also said use of force investigations need to "should be handled in a timely manner" and include sharing information with the families and the public.