2 U.S. Park Police Officers Indicted In Bijan Ghaisar Case

FORT HUNT, VA — Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced Thursday his office secured indictments against two U.S. Park Police officers for the fatal shooting of Bijan Ghaisar, an accountant from McLean.

According to a news release from Descano, a grand jury convened at his request to review evidence and make a decision on whether to indict the officers. The involved officers, Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard, were each indicted by a grand jury on one count of manslaughter and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm.

"Justice has not yet come for the Ghaisar family, but today is a major step forward in that journey," said Descano in a statement. "That journey has a number of steps to go."

Ghaisar, 25, was fatally shot during a pursuit down the George Washington Memorial Parkway on Nov. 17, 2017. The pursuit began after he fled from a hit-and-run in the City of Alexandria in which his car was struck in a left-turn lane. Police cruiser video released by Fairfax County Police shows Park Police stopped his car several times during the pursuit. In these encounters, two officers approached Ghaisar's car with weapons drawn before Ghaisar drove away. When Ghaisar stopped at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt, the video shows two officers fired nine shots at him while he tried to drive away.

Ghaisar, who was unarmed, was struck by gunshots in the head several times and suffered severe brain damage, according to his family. He died 10 days after the shooting from injuries relating to the gunshots to the head.

The indictments follow months of investigation from the prosecutor's office, including reviewing over 11,000 pieces of documentary evidence, finding additional evidence, and conducting interviews. Descano claimed the U.S. Department of Justice refused to produce witnesses for the grand jury and trial from the FBI investigation, so his office had to rely on evidence from the Fairfax County Police Department. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia previously announced the two U.S. Park Police officers would not face federal charges.

Because the two defendants are federal officers, Descano expects them to request the matter be removed to federal court in the next 30 days. He also expects to federal government to move to dismiss the case based on the Supremacy Clause. Descano said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has agreed to assist and take the lead on the federal concerns.

In a statement, the Ghaisar family expressed gratitude to Descano and Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler for their work on the case, as well as elected officials who demanded information on the case from U.S. Park Police and are pursuing policy reforms.

"Our heavy hearts are a little lighter tonight knowing that the police officers who murdered our son and brother are closer to being held accountable for what they did," the family's statement said. "Too many of the people who are sworn to protect and serve our communities commit heinous acts of violence and go unpunished. With these charges we are reminded that, at least here in Fairfax County, Officers Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard are not above the law."

U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton, Don Beyer (D-VA) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released a joint statement following the indictment.

"We’ve all seen the video of these officers firing unprovoked into Bijan’s car," wrote the representatives. "We’ve held hearings in Congress to demand answers. We’ve called on the Justice Department, the FBI, and the Park Police to provide transparency and accountability. Yet, we’ve been given no answers, no explanation, and no justice. The DOJ would rather close the book on this case and move on — but we refuse to let that happen until justice is done."