Norton Meets with Family of Bijan Ghaisar, Fatally Shot by U.S. Park Police

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today met with James and Kelly Ghaisar, the parents of 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar, who was fatally shot by U.S. Park Police officers while he was in his car in Fairfax County, Virginia in November 2017. Norton expects to meet with Park Police Chief Robert MacLean next week. When Congress returns to session, Norton will introduce a bill to require uniformed federal police officers, including Park Police officers, to wear body cameras and have dashboard cameras in marked vehicles. Video of the shooting was recorded and released by the Fairfax County Police Department. Park Police and the uniformed division of the U.S. Secret Service have full local police powers in the District of Columbia.

"As I met with these tearful parents today, I know that the heart of any parent would go out to James and Kelly Ghaisar as they continue to recover from the tragedy of losing their son, Bijan," Norton said. "The gratitude they expressed for my bill to equip uniformed federal police officers with body-worn and dashboard cameras shows parents selflessly moving, without bitterness, beyond their own continuing grief to embrace the greater transparency that could help prevent future tragedies and ensure accountability for Americans like themselves and their family."