Ex- Virginia cop who killed shoplifting suspect acquitted of manslaughter, guilty on firearm charge

Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury on Friday acquitted a former police officer in Virginia of involuntary manslaughter after he fatally shot a shoplifting suspect last year outside a busy shopping mall. But the jury in Fairfax County did convict the former sergeant, Wesley Shifflett, on a charge of reckless handling of a firearm. Prosecutors argued that Shifflett, then an officer with Fairfax County Police, acted recklessly when he shot and killed an unarmed man, Timothy McCree Johnson, after a short foot chase outside Tysons Corner Center. Shifflett testified in his own defense and claimed self defense. He said he saw Johnson reaching into his waistband after falling down during the chase, and he was worried that Johnson might be drawing a weapon.