WASHINGTON — United States officials have agreed to pay $5 million to the family of a man United States Park Police officers shot and killed in 2017. The announcement comes nearly a year after the state ended efforts to criminally prosecute the two officers responsible for the deadly shooting.
On Nov. 17, 2017, 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar was unarmed when he was shot multiple times by two USPP officers.
Officials claim Ghaisar had gotten into a fender-bender on the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria that night. They said he was not at fault for the accident, but he left the scene.
Police said the two U.S. Park Police officers followed Ghaisar and pulled him over. Video released by the Fairfax County Police Department shows that Ghaisar took off and stopped two more times before the officers fired nine shots into his car. The DOJ later said those shots were what killed the main.
Police said Ghaisar was unarmed and had no drugs in his car. Both of the officers, later identified as Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard, claimed self-defense in response to the family's wrongful death lawsuit.
In April 2022, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares halted the state’s federal appeal in the case, which stops the efforts to criminally prosecute the officers.
Ghaisar's parents, James and Kelara, sued the United States on the grounds of wrongful death. On Friday, U.S. officials agreed to a settlement with the family for $5 million.
According to court documents, in exchange for the $5 million, Ghaisar's parents will release all claims stemming from the events that took their son's life.
While officials agreed to settle, the lawsuit does not convict the officers for Ghaisar's death.
"This stipulation for compromise settlement is not, is in no way intended to be, and should not be construed as, an admission of liability or fault on the part of the United States, its agents, servants, or employees, and it is specifically denied that they are liable to the plaintiff," the lawsuit reads.