Police Release Dashcam Video of 2009 Fatal Shooting on Richmond Highway

PHOTO: Screen shot from video

Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler authorized the release Wednesday of the in-car video from the criminal investigation into the officer-involved shooting of David Masters that took place in the Mount Vernon District on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009.

The video does not show the actual shooting but sounds of shooting are audible.

The shooting took place after police were attempting to pull Masters, 52, over at Richmond Highway and Fort Hunt Road.

Masters, of Fredericksburg, was shot and killed by Fairfax County police Officer David Scott Ziants that day when police were pursuing him after he had ripped flowers out of a planter, according to a story by The Washington Post.

Ziants later said that he thought Ziants was driving a stolen car and had run over another officer, which did not happen, the Post story said; Ziants was fired from the force two years later, the Post reported.

Based on several requests, the video was provided to the Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Commission and the county released the video on Wednesday.

In reaching his decision to release the in-car video, Roessler said in a statement he considered the following factors:

• The local criminal investigation has been completed.
• The U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation has been completed
• There is no pending or threatened civil litigation.

The involved officer was found to be in administrative violation of the Police Department’s General Order 540.1, Use of Force , and is no longer a member of the Fairfax County Police Department.

“I recognize the value of releasing the video to the community we proudly serve,” Roessler said in his statement.

Read the entire story by The Washington Post here with more details about the incident.