A McLean man died Monday after being shot by U.S. Park Police earlier this month, police said.
Bijan Ghaisar, 25, died from his injuries at INOVA Fairfax Hospital on November 27.
According to police, the shooting took place on November 17 after a vehicle pursuit that began when Ghaisar left the scene of a crash near the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria.
Police chased Ghaiser for several miles as he traveled southbound on the parkway into the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County.
The chase ended after Ghaisar pulled off the parkway and crashed at an intersection. It is not clear whether Ghaisar was shot before or after he crashed.
The National Iranian American Council has released a statement regarding the shooting death of #BijanGhaisar. (@wusa9) https://t.co/OVRE1NiOV5
— John Henry (@JohnHenryWUSA) November 28, 2017
The family says Ghaisar was shot three times in the head at close range, according to family friend and attorney Charles Helein, who said the first word that came to his mind when he heard the details was "execution." The bullets caused irreparable brain damage, Helein said.
"You don't chase somebody down and shoot them in the head three times because he left the scene of an accident. Come on. It's unbelievable. It's impossible to justify that kind of action," said Helein.
There is no allegation that Ghaisar was armed and Helein said he was not.
"He abhors guns. He's a very peaceful young man," said Helein.
Helein said the family understands the first accident Ghaisar apparently fled from was minor. They don't know why he left and believe he must've been fearful of something.
The FBI said the investigation is still ongoing. A spokesperson would not answer any questions about the shooting or the officers involved.
Tuesday evening, the Ghaisar family released the following statement:
On Friday, November 17th, our son Bijan Ghaisar, was shot in the head three times in his car by the United States Park Police in Alexandria, Virginia. The reason for the murder of our son has yet to be determined, though no reasoning could possibly justify the actions of the one or more Park Police officers involved in this unthinkable act.
Bijan, a first-generation, American-born citizen of Iranian Heritage, was peaceful and avidly anti-violence. He was unarmed. He presented no threat to anyone.
After being shot three times in the head in his car, he was declared with irreversible brain damage. On the evening of Monday, November 27th, our beloved son passed, in the same hospital in which he was born 25 short years ago.
Bijan was a 2010 graduate of Langley High School in McLean, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 with a B.S. in accounting. He was employed as an accountant.
Bijan was an upstanding citizen in his community. He was loved by all – a kind and gentle soul.
We understand that the FBI is conducting an investigation into the actions of the Park Police officers involved in the shooting death of Bijan. We trust that the investigation will uncover what happened and permit justice for our son.
