Virginia man shot by US Park Police after chase dies at hospital, family says

FORT HUNT, Va. - A 25-year-old man involved in a high-speed chase has died after being shot by U.S. Park Police nearly two weeks ago.

Bijan Ghaisar, of McLean, died from his injuries on Monday night, his family says.

Police said the police pursuit on Nov. 17 started after a vehicle fled a crash scene in Alexandria and continued for several miles to Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fairfax County where Ghaisar's Jeep Cherokee crashed and went into a ditch.

Ghaisar's family says he was unarmed and was shot in the head three times.

A witness tells FOX 5 Ghaisar never left his vehicle when Park Police opened fire. Ghaisar later died at Inova Fairfax Hospital Monday night.

Ghaisar worked with his father as an accountant in McLean after he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 with a degree in accounting. An employee at the firm says he had worked in the office for a few months, but was very pleasant. The 25-year-old graduated from Langley High School in 2010.

The family said in a statement:

On Friday, November 17th, our son, Bijan Ghaisar, was shot in the head three times in his car by the United States Park Police in Alexandria, Virginia. The reason for the murder of our son has yet to be determined, though no reasoning could possibly justify the actions of the one or more Park Police officers involved in this unthinkable act.

Bijan, a first-generation, American-born citizen of Iranian heritage, was peaceful and avidly anti-violence. He was unarmed. He presented no threat to anyone.

After being shot three times in the head in his car, he was declared with irreversible brain damage. On the evening of Monday, November 27th, our beloved son passed, in the same hospital in which he was born 25 short years ago.

Bijan was a 2010 graduate of Langley High School in McLean, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 with a B.S. in accounting. He was employed as an accountant.

Bijan was an upstanding citizen in his community. He was loved by all -- a kind and gentle soul.

We understand that the FBI is conducting an investigation into the actions of the Park Police officers involved in the shooting death of Bijan. We trust that the investigation will uncover what happened and permit justice for our son.

According to the FBI, who is now handling the investigation, Park Police and Fairfax County police were originally involved in the chase. Two Park Police officers were involved in the shooting.

At this point, the FBI has not answered our questions about why Park Police deployed their weapons, but says this is an ongoing investigation.