MCLEAN, Va. — Three Fairfax County Police officers will not face charges, in connection to the shooting death of Jasper Aaron Lynch in 2022.
An officer shot and killed 26-year-old Lynch inside his home in Mclean on July 7, 2022, after they'd responded to calls that he was having a mental health episode.
The FCPD officers were identified as Officers George, Kirsch and Pak.
"My review of this incident leads me to conclude that none of the three officers all of whom used some level of force, violated any criminal laws. I therefore decline to bring criminal charges against Officers Pak, Kirsch or George," wrote Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano in a release that was posted on Facebook around 5 p.m. on Friday.
According to the report, all three officers were CIT trained, but none were assigned to the Co-Responder Unit and therefore none of the officers were accompanied by a CSB Crisis Intervention Specialist.
The entire interaction was recorded on three officers' body-worn cameras.
Body-worn camera footage, which was released in August of 2022, shows that there was a lapse of less than 35 seconds from the time the first officer entered the home, to the time shots were fired.
GRAPHIC WARNING: The video below shows body camera footage from a fatal shooting by an officer. Viewer discretion advised.
According to the report, Aaron Lynch "sprung into the foyer from an adjoining room" holding a burgundy wine bottle and a long wooden mask.
"Put it down," officers begin to repeat, also saying "It's okay," and asking him if he's alright. Lynch asks if his parents are there. A chorus of voices respond, one saying that he's not in trouble, another saying no and another, calling out, "You asked to call for us - remember?"
At that point, Lynch appears to throw the mask at one of the officers and then runs toward them while winging the bottle. According to the chief, two of the officers then discharged their taser-like electronic control weapons, while the third shot the man a total of four times.
The officer who shot the man has since been identified as police officer First Class Edward George.
The department said the officers immediately gave Lynch aid, however, he was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured in the shooting; however, the officer who shot Lynch is currently on administrative status and won't be patrolling or doing anything else involving public contact, Chief Kevin Davis confirmed.
Statement from Pat and Kathy Lynch:
We are saddened and devastated by the Commonwealth Attorney’s decision not to press charges against Officer George, the police officer who shot and killed our son, Aaron Lynch, on July 7, 2022. We have carefully reviewed the footage from the body cameras and believe the Commonwealth Attorney's description of important parts of how this tragedy unfolded is incorrect. We cannot fathom how Aaron’s shooting could in any way be viewed as anything but unjustified and an excessive use of force. Aaron was on the ground after being tackled by another officer and was completely unarmed when Officer George fired the lethal final bullet in Aaron’s neck. This came after Officer George had fired at Aaron four times. Why was it necessary to shoot again?
The long period of time the Commonwealth Attorney took to make this decision has only increased the pain and uncertainty for our family. We are deeply disappointed and mystified as to why it took more than 18 months. The facts all point in the other direction of this report’s findings. Our son was experiencing a severe mental health crisis that day. He was scared and had asked for us to call 911. We believe that the three police officers who answered the call could have handled this far differently. To respond to Aaron’s mental health crisis by shooting him at all, let alone five times, cannot be justified. How could our son, who was about 5’ 6”, slightly built, holding a bottle and a decorative mask be of a serious threat to three officers?
This is an injustice that no family should have to endure. We will continue to press for accountability from the FCPD and Fairfax County, both for Aaron and our family and in the hope that this will help prevent such tragic outcomes for other families in the future.
For a list of mental health resources, click here.
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