(WASHINGTON D.C., 2/11/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Department of Justice to launch an “independent and transparent” investigation into the 2019 police shooting of a mentally ill Somali-American man in Alaska.
Newly-released police video footage shows the deadly shooting of Bishar Hassan, 31, on April 1, 2019. After being approached by police officers while walking down a street, he reached into his waistband to retrieve what law enforcement described as a “replica BB or pellet gun.”
Three Anchorage police opened fire, shooting him multiple times. Two minutes passed before Hassan received medical aid. He ultimately died.