Length Of FBI's Bijan Ghaisar Investigation Questioned

MCLEAN, VA—Three months after then-Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley demanded answers on the investigation into the 2017 U.S. fatal shooting of Bijan Ghaisar, the FBI provided a response. In the letter, the FBI defends the length of the continuing investigation into U.S. Park Police's shooting of Ghaisar.

The March 15 letter from Jill Tyson, assistant director of the FBI's Office of Congressional Affairs did not provide details on the investigation. In December, Grassley had demanded a report on the shooting once the investigation was completed, an update on the investigation and the investigation's expected completion date.

"This investigation is proceeding consistent with other investigations of a similar nature, general size, and complexity," stated the FBI letter. "Pursuant to long-standing FBI and Department of Justice policy and practice, the FBI cannot comment further on the investigation because it remains ongoing."

Ghaisar, an accountant from McLean, died 10 days after being shot during a pursuit on the George Washington Memorial Parkway on Nov. 17, 2017. Park Police began pursuing Ghaisar after he fled from an Alexandria crash in which he was rear-ended.

In-car police cruiser video released by Fairfax County Police shows part of the pursuit ending with the fatal shooting. When the chase ended in Fort Hunt, the video showed two Park Police officers approach and fire their weapons as Ghaisar attempted to drive away. The last set of gunshots stopped the car, which nearly flipped over into a ditch and came to rest against a stop sign.

The FBI has been investigating the shooting for over a year but have not provided major updates on the investigation. Fairfax County Police reports obtained by The Washington Post indicated Ghaisar was not armed.

Ghaisar's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit last August after calling for answers on the shooting. The family previously filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to identify the officers on duty the evening of the shooting and officers on administrative leave since then. The family had also demanded the release of the 911 call from the original hit-and-run leading to the police pursuit, but the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia blocked the release due to the investigation.

The two U.S. Park Police officers who fired their weapons were placed on administrative leave after the shooting and were not publicly identified.