Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has granted clemency to a former police sergeant who shot and killed an unarmed man accused of stealing sunglasses. The former sergeant, Wesley Shifflett, was sentenced to three years in prison for recklessly handling a firearm during the shooting incident that took place on February 22, 2023. The jury acquitted him of involuntary manslaughter, but he will retain his felony conviction.
Governor Youngkin's decision to grant clemency was based on his belief that the court's sentence was unjust and did not align with sentencing guidelines recommending no incarceration for Shifflett. The incident involved Shifflett, then a sergeant with Fairfax County police, chasing and fatally shooting Timothy McCree Johnson after a report of theft from a department store.
