The FBI says the 2017 fatal shooting by U.S. Park Police of an unarmed Virginia motorist is a complex case and that its 16-month investigation is not unusual.
The bureau's comments came in a March 15 letter to U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who has questioned why the FBI is taking so long to investigate the shooting death of 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar of McLean. The FBI said it can't provide a detailed response while the investigation is ongoing.
Ghaisar died after a November 2017 car chase on the George Washington Parkway, police footage shows. Ghaisar, an accountant and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, was unarmed when police shot him in the head three times, his family says.
Ghaisar's family filed a federal lawsuit seeking $25 million and answers about what happened. The lawsuit describes the incident as "egregious, senseless and unlawful" and spoke of "two out-of-control law enforcement officers."
A video released by Fairfax County Police shows officers shooting Ghaisar after he stopped his car, then started to drive off.
