Virginia man shot 9 times at close range by police
In an effort to provide transparency, the Fairfax County Police Department released a video detailing the fatal shooting.
Bijan Ghaisar was shot at least nine times at close range after police chased him following a minor car accident. He died 10 days later.
On Wednesday, The United States Park Police released a video showing the fatal shooting of a Virginia driver last fall.
Bijan Ghaisar, an unarmed unarmed Iranian-American man, was shot at least nine times at close range after police chased him following a minor car accident. He died 10 days later, on November 27. His family says he was shot four times in the head and once in the wrist.
Edwin C. Roessler Jr., the chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, released the video in an effort to provide “transparency to all in our community, especially the Ghaisar family,” the chief said in a statement.
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“The video does not provide all the answers,” he said. “However, we should all have confidence in the F.B.I.’s investigation of this matter as I know it will be thorough, objective and professional.”
What the video shows
Dashboard-camera video footage of the fatal shooting of Bijan Ghaisar by United States Park Police officers in November 2017. (Courtesy of FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT.)
According to The New York Times, Ghaisar was in a green Jeep when he suddenly “stopped in the roadway,” and a car behind him rear-ended him. Although the driver of the other car was cited for the accident, police pursued Ghaisar.
The video begins with the pursuit and shows the police catching up to the Ghaisar’s jeep. A Fairfax County police officer gets out of the police car and appears to point a gun at the driver’s side window. However, the jeep pulls away, and the chase ensues again.
A Park Police vehicle then joins the chase, and when the jeep pulls over again, two Park Police officers approach on foot with at least one officer appearing to have a weapon drawn. Ghaisar drives away again.
Bijan Ghaisar (Courtesy of Facebook.)
Finally, when the jeep stops at a stop sign, the police catch up while the Park Police vehicle blocks Ghaisar’s path.
Another officer appears with a gun drawn and when the Jeep moves forward, one gunshot can be heard on the video. The car continues to move forward, at which point three more gunshots ring out. Another officer approaches, and another shot is fired.
The jeep veers as two additional shots are heard fired on the video.
A third officer appears with a gun drawn. The car continues then knocks over the stop sign. At that point, two more shots ring out.
A “disturbing” and “senseless killing”
Roy L. Austin Jr. and Thomas Connolly, lawyers for Ghaisar’s family, said that the “disturbing” video showed a “senseless killing” by the police.
“Bijan Ghaisar was repeatedly threatened by over-aggressive and out-of-control law enforcement officers, after he drove away from a minor traffic incident in which he was the victim and in which there was little property damage and no known injuries,” the lawyers said in the statement.
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As to why Ghaisar drove away from the officers, Austin said that “his behavior is what a lot of people would do when they feel like they’re threatened.”
“I think it’s fair to say he was finding a more populated, better-lit space to go to based on the behavior of the officers,” he said.
The lawyers did thank Chief Roessler “for all he has done to ensure the appropriate amount of transparency throughout this process.”
The FBI is still investigating the incident.
