Jan. 24 (UPI) — Dash camera video was released on Wednesday showing footage of a police shooting that killed a 25-year-old man after a chase with authorities.
The Nov. 17 shooting killed Bijan C. Ghaisar, who fled from police at the scene of a car crash in Alexandria, Va., authorities said. Park Police officers, whose jurisdiction includes all federal lands, pursued Ghaisar, who stopped his car twice. Ghaisar was then hit by close-range gunfire from Park Police during a third stop.
Nine shots were fired at Ghaisar, the first five after his Jeep began to slowly move forward during the final stop of the chase. A few seconds later the Jeep drifted forward again and two more shots were fired at close range. As the Jeep drifted again 11 seconds later, the two final shots were fired.
Family lawyers said Ghaisar was unarmed. Medical records show Ghaisar was shot four times in the head and once in the wrist. He died 10 days later.
The incident was recorded by a dashboard camera in the vehicle of a Fairfax County police officer who assisted Park Police officers in the chase. After the pursuit came to a halt, Fairfax County officers drew their weapons but Park Police officers were the only authorities to use firearms.
Park Police Sgt. James Dingeldein said those officers remain on administrative leave while the FBI investigates the shooting.
The video was publicly released Wednesday by Fairfax police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr., who provided the FBI with the video in December.
Roessler said he released it “as a matter of transparency to all in our community, especially the Ghaisar family.”
