Youngkin pardons ex-Fairfax officer in fatal shooting of shoplifting suspect

RICHMOND, Va. - Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin pardoned a former Fairfax County police officer who was convicted in a fatal shooting of an unarmed man accused of stealing sunglasses at a mall days before his term ended, report says.  

What we know:

According to a newly released report, former Sgt. Wesley Shifflett received an absolute pardon on Jan. 15 from Youngkin.

"The deadly force used by Sgt. Wesley Gonzalez Shifflett on February 22, 2023, was both lawful and consistent with the department’s policy and training," Youngkin wrote in his pardon.

Family reacts to verdict in deadly police shooting outside Tysons Corner Center

The family of Timothy McCree Johnson reacts to a split verdict after a jury found former Fairfax County police sergeant Wesley Shifflett not guilty of involuntary manslaughter but guilty of reckless handling of a firearm.

The backstory:

Wesley Shifflett, a former sergeant with Fairfax County Police, shot and killed Timothy McCree Johnson, an unarmed man, after a short foot chase outside Tysons Corner Center in February 2023. Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson after security guards reported that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in the mall.

Prosecutors argued that Shifflett acted recklessly during the incident. During the 2024 trial, Shifflett said he saw the 37-year-old Johnson reaching into his waistband after falling during the chase and feared he might be drawing a weapon. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

Shifflett testified in his own defense, claiming self-defense. Police body camera footage showed the nighttime chase and shooting. Both officers opened fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis fired Shifflett shortly after the shooting for violating the department’s use-of-force policies.

Initially, a grand jury declined to indict Shifflett in the shooting, but Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano sought and received court approval for a special grand jury to reinvestigate, which he said gave prosecutors greater oversight of the investigation.

A jury acquitted Shifflett of involuntary manslaughter in October of 2024, but convicted him of reckless handling of a firearm in connection with the shooting.

Youngkin granted Shifflett clemency in the case last year, throwing out a three-year prison sentence.