Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
McLEAN, Va. — A federal inspector general has cleared two U.S. Park Police officers fatally shot a Virginia man after a stop-and-go highway chase seven years ago.
A report The Interior Department’s inspector general determined Tuesday that the officers, Lucas Vinyard and Alejandro Amaya, did not violate procedures when they fatally shot 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar of McLean in November 2017 after a pursuit of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It also concluded they were justified in pursuing Ghaisar after receiving a report that he fled the scene of an accident in which his SUV was rear-ended.
The report said the shooting was within police policy because officers reasonably feared Amaya’s life was in danger when he stood in front of Ghaisar’s stationary vehicle and the vehicle began to roll forward.
The only policy violation that occurred, according to the report, was when one of the officers used his gun to break a window in Ghaisar’s SUV.
Ghaisar’s death and the shooting were the subject of years of legal wrangling, although neither officer was ever convicted of a crime. Ghaisar’s family received a $5 million settlement from the government last year in a civil wrongful death lawsuit.
On Wednesday, Ghaisar’s mother, Kelly Ghaisar, disputed the inspector general’s findings in a written statement.
“These officers should never have pursued Bijan,” she said. “Although they saw that Bijan was in distress – probably terrified – they did not communicate this to their manager. They stopped Bijan and pulled out a gun, banged on his window and kicked his tire. They then chased him, pulled him over and shot him multiple times.”
Federal authorities declined to prosecute the officers after a two-year FBI investigation. At that time, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano charged with manslaughter against the officers in state court. That set off a tug-of-war between state and federal officials over who had jurisdiction to prosecute the case.
In October 2021, a federal judge dismissed the manslaughter charge brought by Descano’s office. The judge ruled that the officers were entitled to immunity and that their actions were appropriate given the circumstances.
The Ghaisar family said the officers violated their own policies by pursuing Ghaisar, who was unarmed when officers opened fire.
Dashcam video of the shooting shows the chase starting on the Parkway and then continuing into a residential area. It shows the car driven by Ghaisar stopping twice during the chase, and officers approaching the car with weapons drawn. In both cases Ghaisar drives away.
At the third and final stop, the officers approach again with guns drawn, and Amaya stands at the driver’s side door. When the car starts moving, Amaya opens fire. Seconds later, when the car starts moving again, both Amaya and Vinyard fire several shots.