A bipartisan pair of U.S. Senators on Tuesday demanded the FBI and National Park Service update them on their review of Bijan Ghaisar’s fatal shooting by U.S. Park Police in 2017.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, and Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat, co-authored the letters, saying the agencies have rebuffed their requests for an update on the case.
“The FBI has failed to provide information on this investigation, which has been ongoing since November 2017, to us, our colleagues, or the public. The FBI’s slow pace and lack of transparency are weakening the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” the senators wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Mr. Ghaisar was fatally shot on Nov. 17, 2017 in Fairfax County, Virginia by two U.S. Park Police officers. The shooting was preceded by a brief chase that began after Mr. Ghaisar was involved in a fender-bender on the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria. Unarmed at the time of the incident, Mr. Ghaisar died 10 days later.
The senators say they want an update on the FBI’s investigation as well as a briefing on the U.S. Park Police’s policies regarding the use of force. They said both agencies must respond by July 2.
“It is our hope that the National Park Service and the U.S. Park Police actively examine ways to update use of force policies and best practices, particularly following the fatal shooting by Park Police of Virginia resident Bijan Ghaisar,” they wrote.
Both Senators wrote they had pushed for updates on the investigation into Mr. Ghaisar’s death in 2018. But the U.S. Park Police or FBI has provided few details, saying they can’t discuss ongoing investigations.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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