Fairfax Prosecutor Examines Park Police Shooting Of Bijan Ghaisar

FAIRFAX, VA — The new prosecutor for Fairfax County is looking into the fatal Park Police shooting of Bijan Ghaisar, a 25-year-old accountant from McLean.

Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano met with counsel for the Ghaisar family, according to a statement released by Roy Austin the family's attorney.

"Mr. Descano assured us that his team would examine all of the evidence that they had and that they would make a decision how to proceed based on that evidence," Austin said. "Importantly and unlike past experience, Mr. Descano made it clear that he would keep us regularly informed and he would make sure to contact the family about any significant developments to ensure that they would not first learn what is happening from the media."

Outgoing Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond Morrogh tried to bring the case before a grand jury, but time ran out as he left office on Dec. 31. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia indicated it would need to approve the use of FBI testimony before the case could go to a grand jury.

The investigation from Descano's office comes after the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced it would not place federal charges against the two Park Police officers who shot Ghaisar, Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard. According to The Washington Post, the civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia remains pending.

The shooting happened on Nov. 17, 2017 after Ghaisar fled from a hit-and-run in which his car was struck in a left-turn lane in Alexandria. Park Police pursued Ghaisar's vehicle down the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Police cruiser released by Fairfax County Police shows Park Police stopped his car several times during the pursuit. The video appeared to show two officers approach Ghaisar's vehicle with weapons drawn before Ghaisar drives away. The pursuit ended at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fort Hunt, where Ghaisar was struck in the head by gunshots. He died in the hospital 10 days later.

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