Video Released Of U.S. Park Police Shooting McLean Man

MCLEAN, VA—Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. has released the in-car footage from Nov. 17, 2017, when a McLean man was fatally shot by two U.S. Park Police officers. The video shows officers fired nine shots Bijan C. Ghaisar, 25, an accountant from McLean.

A Fairfax County Police cruiser documented the part of the police chase up to the shooting of Ghaisar. The video begins with police attempting to pull Ghaisar's car over on George Washington Memorial Parkway and later on a side road. Both times two officers appeared to approach Ghaisar's car with weapons drawn before he drove away.

Eventually the chase ends at Alexandria Avenue and Fort Hunt Road, where the two officers again approach and fire their weapons as Ghaisar attempts 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.

Ghaisar died 10 days after the shooting from injuries relating to gunshots to the head. Ghaisar, who was unarmed, suffered three shots to the head and severe brain damage. Roessler says he has met with the Ghaisar family and showed them the video before it was released to the public.

“As a matter of transparency to all in our community, especially the Ghaisar family, and as the administrative custodian of the video, I am releasing the in-car video of the U.S. Park Police shooting," said Roessler in a statement. "The video does not provide all the answers. However, we should all have confidence in the FBI’s investigation of this matter as I know it will be thorough, objective and professional.”

U.S. Park Police said two of their officers fired their weapons have been on administrative leave since the shooting. Fairfax County officers did not discharge their weapons and are considered witnesses.

The in-car video had been handed over to the FBI for an investigation. Roessler and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have called for the release of the video when it no longer interferes with the FBI investigation.

The FBI has not announced any updates on the investigation. Meanwhile a Park Police report obtained by The Washington Post revealed police originally were pursuing Ghaisar's car after he had been rear-ended by an Uber driver in Alexandria. The police report indicates the vehicles clocked in at 59 miles per hour during the pursuit, but Park Police wouldn't comment on why there was a pursuit for a car that had been rear ended in the first place. A lawyer for the Ghaisar told the family "it is even more clear that the killing of Bijan Ghaisar was completely unnecessary" after learning about the original crash.

Mark Warner, one of Virginia's senators, is urging the FBI to conduct a transparent investigation in light of the video release, "The footage of Bijan Ghaisar’s death released today is disturbing. My staff has met with Mr. Ghaisar’s family, and I believe they deserve answers about the circumstances under which U.S. Park Police Officers engaged with Mr. Ghaisar during this incident, including repeatedly firing into his vehicle and ending his life."

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