Fairfax County PD releases video of fatal shooting of Afghan war vet

[Ahlevah]

A little background:

Abiding by their self-imposed transparency policy, the Fairfax County Police Department released footage taken from the scene on April 23, 2025, when 36-year-old Jamal Wali was fatally shot by officers. That footage revealed the agitated state of the former translator for the U.S. military and the attempts at de-escalation as the father of four railed that he would have been better off had he served with the “f*cking Taliban.”

After slamming on his brakes to come to a stop, Wali was approached by an FCPD officer and immediately alerted the cop to the fact that he was armed before asking why he was pulled over. Made aware of his expired inspection sticker, the agitated driver expressed, “Call Joe Biden or call George Bush.”

Throughout the interaction, Wali was heard refusing to give his name, said his license had been taken away because he couldn’t pay his insurance, and said he had no registration while the officer called for a supervisor’s assistance as the man allegedly continually reached for his firearm.

Afghan refugee praises Taliban, shoots two VA police officers before being fatally shot

Afghan man who served as military translator voiced regret at not serving Taliban instead before pulling gun on VA officers in fatal incident

www.bizpacreview.com

This is graphic. Nothing is blurred or omitted in this video, so use discretion in viewing it:



This is just tragic in every which way to Sunday. It looks like Mr. Wali hadn’t properly adjusted to the stresses of living in America. Perhaps he suffered from PTSD or some other form of mental impairment. He mentioned not being able to get a job or receive disability, and appeared to harbor a lot of resentment against America and Americans. Regardless, he seemed to have a death wish, and this could have ended up being an even greater tragedy at some point. Mr. Wali seemed to know how to skillfully handle and fire a handgun.

It isn’t my intention to be overly critical of the actions of these officers. The one on the passenger side of the vehicle who fired the fatal shots on Mr. Wali responded quickly to the threat. However, I read a number of comments in the YouTube video centered around the idea that these officers were perhaps too lax in their approach to Mr. Wali given his lack of cooperation, state of mind, and the fact that he was armed. Anyone care to comment on that? Shouldn’t the officer who initiated the initial stop have briefed the other officers before an attempt was made to disarm him? Those cops on the driver side are lucky they weren’t killed in this encounter.

 

[Allan]

Shouldn’t the officer who initiated the initial stop have briefed the other officers before an attempt was made to disarm him?

He warned enroute officers about the weapon twice so they knew they were going into a high risk situation.

Those cops on the driver side are lucky they weren’t killed in this encounter.

May have been shot by the officer on the passenger side?

 

[Ahlevah]

He warned enroute officers about the weapon twice so they knew they were going into a high risk situation.

Yes, so I wonder why the second officer thought it would be a good idea to casually walk up to the driver-side door given Mr. Wali’s unstable, agitated state. Up to that point the initial officer had been trying to deescalate things, but they rapidly went downhill when they tried to force the issue with the gun. Perhaps there’s some context I’m missing here, but I don’t think Mr. Wali intended to shoot anyone that day or he would already have had a round chambered.

May have been shot by the officer on the passenger side?

That is correct. He was hailed by his chief as a hero.

 

[Allan]

Yes, so I wonder why the second officer thought it would be a good idea to casually walk up to the driver-side door, stick his head in the window, and try to physically disarm Mr. Wali given his unstable, agitated state

Reaching into the car wasn't a good idea when the guy's got a gun in his hand. There's no way to gain control of his arm or the weapon.

 

[Buster Keaton]

A ticket is a lot better than dying

 

[Allan]

A ticket is a lot better than dying

There are thousands of police body and dash camera videos showing how frequently people get into a shootout or other violent encounters with police over the most minor of moving violations.

Some people are just not able to make reasonable decisions.

 

[Buster Keaton]

There are thousands of police body and dash camera videos showing how frequently people get into a shootouts or other violent encounters with polce over the most minor of moving violations.

Some people are just not able to make reasonable decisions.

Agree

 

[Ahlevah]

Reaching into the car wasn't a good idea when the guy's got a gun in his hand. There's no way to gain control of his arm or the weapon.

Yeah, I edited the post you quoted because I’m not sure what the second officer’s intent was. Even after repeatedly playing back the suspect’s GoPro video and slowing it down, I’m not sure if he was trying to get that gun before or after the suspect started reaching for it. In any case, the officer was being a little too assertive for the suspect’s comfort. He had no intention of willingly giving up that gun, at least not at that moment.

I’m just left to wonder what Mr. Wali’s story was. He was apparently a translator for U.S. special forces in Afghanistan, and came to the States in 2014, presumably with family members. He said he had four kids. He seemed to be extremely embittered by his experience here. Such a shame.

 

[Ahlevah]

A ticket is a lot better than dying

Unless you want a permanent ticket to a cemetery. This guy at one point said he didn’t give a ****. His next to last act was to tell the cops to keep his ID, perhaps implying he wouldn’t need it where he was going.

 

[Ahlevah]

There are thousands of police body and dash camera videos showing how frequently people get into a shootout or other violent encounters with police over the most minor of moving violations.

Some people are just not able to make reasonable decisions.

From what he said, I think Mr. Wali was nearing the end of his rope. He was ready to check out. We should be thankful he didn’t take anyone else with him. I really feel for his family. He said he lost his brother. One can only hope his parents didn’t witness that and live to see this, too.