A judge found the man who shot an Alexandria police officer not guilty by reason of insanity.
Kashif Bashir will be committed for further evaluation.
Bashir, 29, was a cab driver at the time of the Feb. 27, 2013, shooting of motorcycle Officer Peter Laboy during a traffic stop. He was charged with attempted capital murder and aggravated malicious wounding.
"Obviously the commonwealth is disappointed that it could not get a conviction in this case," Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter said. "However no verdict could restore to Peter Laboy and his family what was lost on the day he was shot and grievously wounded. I hope that the trial process has bright some answers to Peter and his family and it has helped and not hindered their quest for healing."
Porter said Laboy expressed disappointment in the decision.
Testifying for Bashir's defense Wednesday, psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Scheneman testified Bashir is a paranoid schizophrenic who had lost touch with reality. During Bashir's defense, his attorneys highlighted a history of mental health issues in the Bashir family, and Scheneman testified that mental illness is genetic.
Defense psychologist Dr. William Stejskal testified Bashir told him he heard voices instructing him to buy a knife and a handgun the day before the shooting, and on Feb. 27, 2013, he drank three beers to help him do what the voice in his head commanded: Go to Alexandria to rape or kill a young woman, to shoot a cop and then be chased by cops. But the voice told Bashir not to worry because nothing bad was going to happen as he was living in a parallel universe and the weren't real people.
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Witnesses described one horrific incident when the family lived in a small village in Pakistan: the family found Bashir's mother had set herself on fire. It was Bashir who ran to get buckets of water to put the flames out. She died 10 days later.
Also during testimony Wednesday, Bashir's father, Mohamad, said he shared the cab with his son. He testified that in 2012 he found a gun under a seat of the cab and accidentally discharged a shot.
Mohamad Bashir reported the gun to Prince William County police. Kashif Bashir said he knew nothing about the gun.
Bashir's father also testified he was surprised Kashif had been drinking the day of the shooting because their Islamic religious beliefs prohibit alcohol. Mohamad admitted he was sometimes concerned by his son's behavior.
Bashir's sister testified that Kashif was quiet and kept to himself. Friends from high school testified that Bashir used to be social, but had become withdrawn in recent years.
Laboy is recovering from the injury and has had to relearn how to speak and walk. The prosecution presented doctors who testified Peter Laboy suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of the shooting.
