Report: Man shot by Park Police on Fort Hunt Road dies

The SUV involved in the chase can be seen to the left of the U.S. Park Police car.

A man shot by U.S. Park Police on Fort Hunt Road earlier this month has died, The Washington Post reported Tuesday morning.

The Post identified the man as Bijan C. Ghaisar, a resident of McLean. 

Ghaisar, 25, was shot following a police chase that began on the George Washington Parkway and ended at the intersection of Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue. He died Monday night, according to the Post.

Ghaisar was an accountant, and worked at Caesar & Associates, PC.  He’s a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and Langley High School in McLean,  according to his LinkedIn page. 

The Park Police has released few details about the incidents, including whether Ghaisar was armed, why police shot him, how many times he was shot, and the route of the police chase.

The Post reported Tuesday that Ghaisar’s family said he was unarmed and shot three times in the head. The Park Police had previously said that the pursuit began after Ghaisar was involved in a hit-and-run crash on the Parkway near Slater’s lane in Alexandria. 

You can read the Post’s full report here. 

The FBI, who is now leading the investigation into the shooting, confirmed’s Ghaisar’s death on Tuesday, but declined to release more details about the incident.

“Bijan C. Ghaisar, 25, of McLean, VA, passed away from his injuries on November 27, 2017, as a result of the shooting, at INOVA Fairfax Hospital,” said Kadia Koroma, a public affairs specialist at the FBI Washington Field Office. “As this is an ongoing federal investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time.”

The shooting and subsequent lack of information provided about it has caught the attention of local politicians, including Rep. Don Beyer and State Sen. Scott Surovell, who lives close to the site of the shooting. Surovell said Tuesday that he’s not been able to get any further information on the shooting.

“Unarmed man shot three times in the head two blocks from my house two weeks ago has now died and we still have virtually zero information about what happened,” Surovell said on Facebook after the Post’s story came out. “Unacceptable.”

Beyer’s office also said Tuesday that he has not been given any information other than what’s been reported in the media. 

“The public deserves to know more about the events which resulted in the death of Bijan Ghaisar,” Beyer said in a statement. “I have been in touch with both Park Police and the FBI seeking details, and will continue to press them for more answers until we get a full understanding of what happened.”

The National Iranian American Council also issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying it was “deeply saddened and concerned” Ghaisar’s death. 

“Based on reporting, it appears that Ghaisar was unarmed and in his car when he was shot three times in the head, which strongly suggests that the police’s shooting was not justified or proportionate,” the NIAC said. “We hope that the FBI, which has taken over the investigation of the incident, will provide a full and fair accounting that takes all angles into account.”

This story was updated at 9:45 p.m. to include the statement from the NIAC.