RICHMOND, Va. — Outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin granted a full pardon to a former Fairfax County police officer convicted in a 2023 fatal shooting, the Associated Press reported.
According to state records, former Sgt. Wesley Shifflett received an absolute pardon on Jan. 15, just days before Youngkin’s term ended. Shifflett was previously convicted of reckless handling of a firearm in the shooting of Timothy McCree Johnson, who was suspected of shoplifting sunglasses from a mall.
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In 2024, a jury acquitted Shifflett of manslaughter but convicted him on the lesser charge. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but Youngkin granted clemency in 2025, nullifying the prison term. The recent pardon fully absolves Shifflett of legal consequences in the case.
“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 the pardon, citing a Fairfax County Police Department review that found Shifflett’s actions “objectively reasonable.”
The incident occurred after Shifflett and another officer pursued Johnson out of a shopping mall and into a wooded area. Body-worn camera footage played at trial showed Shifflett shouting “Get on the ground,” and firing two shots.
Shifflett testified that Johnson was reaching toward his waistband and that his own reaction was based on a perceived threat.
Johnson was later found to be unarmed.
In April, Fairfax County Police concluded the shooting was consistent with department policy, according to the report. That report formed the basis of Youngkin’s decision.
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