Body cam footage, 911 calls released from deadly McLean officer-involved shooting
By: Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis released body camera footage and 911 calls Thursday afternoon from a July 7 incident that led to a deadly officer-involved shooting.
Last month, officers were called to a home in the 6900 block of Arbor Lane in McLean just after 7 p.m. for a 911 call about "a man in crisis."
Authorities were unable to locate the person they'd been called about and returned after a second 911 call, at about 8:45 p.m.
When officers arrived at the home that second time, they say a "struggle" ensued, and allege that 26-year-old Jasper Aaron Lynch charged at officers with "something in his hand."
Police said Lynch was holding a bottle and an object believed to be a large, decorative tribal mask. They allege Lynch threw the mask at an officer and began to swing the bottle in a striking motion.
Police said they attempted to verbally de-escalate the situation before two of the responding officers deployed their tasers and a third officer fired his service weapon multiple times.
Police said officered rendered immediate aid, but Lynch did not survive.
"On the occasions when police officers use deadly force, it's always a profoundly sad event. And this event is no different as a life no longer exists," said Davis.
Lynch's family released a statement on Thursday:
"Our son, Aaron, was experiencing a severe mental health crisis on July 7. He was scared and asked for both of the 911 calls that were made that day. We believe that the three police officers who answered the second 911 call could have, and should have, handled this far differently. To respond to Aaron’s mental health crisis by shooting him at all, let alone multiple times, cannot be justified. We recognize that, at times, police officers face grave and unknown dangers in the line of duty, but that was not the case for that call at our home regarding our son. Aaron was about 5’ 6”, slightly built, and holding just a bottle and a decorative mask.
As parents, we mourn the heartbreaking loss of our son and are left with only memories and regret. Had we known there was any possibility that the police responding to the second 911 call would use lethal force against Aaron during a mental health crisis, we would not have involved them until a mental health counselor could be present, as was the case for the response to the first 911 call. We hope our efforts to find out more about this incident will, in the future, help families in similar situations avoid such a tragic outcome."