WASHINGTON -- Nearly one year after U.S. Park Police officers killed Bijan Ghaisar, we still have no answers to why the officers opened fire on the unarmed Northern Virginia man.
On Thursday night, friends, family and supporters of the Ghaisar gathered at the scene of the deadly shooting for a candlelight vigil to remind the public that no answers have come in the case.
The 25-year-old had left the scene of a minor accident in which he was the victim. He had been hit from behind on the George Washington Parkway.
It's unknown why he left, Arlington County has not released the 9-1-1 call. But Fairfax County Police did release dash cam video from their officer's vehicle as he or she followed the Park Police officers pursuing Ghaisar.
The video shows Ghaiser stopping twice for the officers, and then driving off. The third time he stops, Ghaisar appears to drive around the officers. Suddenly, Park Police officers open fire, repeatedly striking Ghaisar. His Jeep then rolls away, crashing into a ditch.
Last week, a police report written by Fairfax County police confirmed what Bijan’s family has said from the start. That he was not armed and that there were no drugs in the vehicle.
A Fairfax Co. police officer who was on the scene wrote, "The inside of the vehicle was viewed and determined that there were no weapons in plain view or reach of the driver. The rear of the vehicle was also checked with no weapons seen, no other passengers were observed in the vehicle either. There were no drug or narcotics visible to from plain view but I did not search the vehicle. The driver of hte vehicle was unresponsive and it was observed that there was a gunshot wound to the (redacted) of the driver..."
The anniversary of the shooting is coming up on November 17th. Dozens showed up at a vigil at Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue where the deadly shooting happened.
