A Virginia police officer who killed an unarmed Black man accused of shoplifting sunglasses spent just two nights in jail before receiving a full pardon from then-Governor Glenn Youngkin, a decision that has reignited anger over race, policing, and accountability in the U.S. justice system.
The officer, former Fairfax County Sheriff’s deputy Wesley Gonzalez Shifflett, shot and killed 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson on Feb. 22, 2023, after chasing him from a mall in northern Virginia into a wooded area. Johnson was suspected of stealing sunglasses. Per ABC 7 News, he was unarmed.
Body camera footage shown at trial captured Shifflett shouting “Get on the ground!” while chasing Johnson, then firing two shots roughly two seconds later. Moments later, Shifflett could be heard yelling, “Stop reaching,” while Johnson responded, “I’m not reaching for nothing. I don’t have nothing.”
🧵⚠️ (Police Shooting)
37-year-old Timothy Johnson was accused of stealing a pair of sunglasses, when the store’s alarm went off a pair of nearby officers chased Timothy into a nearby parking lot where both officers fired at the unarmed man, hitting him once in the chest. pic.twitter.com/mceB3b3j7n
— 🥀_ Imposter_🥀 (@Imposter_Edits) March 26, 2023
In October 2024, a jury convicted Shifflett of reckless firearm use but acquitted him of involuntary manslaughter. In February 2025, he was sentenced to three years in prison. He reported to custody and was released after two nights when Youngkin vacated the sentence.
Days before leaving office, Youngkin went further, granting Shifflett a full pardon on Jan. 15. The pardon erased the conviction entirely.
At the time, Youngkin called the sentence “unjust” and argued it violated sentencing guidelines. In his written justification, later obtained by The Associated Press, Youngkin concluded that Shifflett’s actions were “objectively reasonable” and consistent with department policy and training.
Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin pardoned ex-police officer Wesley Shifflett, clearing his conviction for reckless firearm use in a 2023 shooting.https://t.co/rlt0RCL1bl
— WanderinWoodsman🗺🌐🇺🇸🥋in support of 🇦🇫🇺🇦 (@WanderNWoodsman) January 28, 2026
“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. That conclusion directly contradicted the jury’s finding and the sentence imposed by the court.
Johnson’s mother, Melissa Johnson, condemned the decision, calling the governor’s actions “egregious, malicious and prejudiced.” She questioned why a jury verdict and a judge’s sentence could be undone by executive power. “Why now do we find it necessary to vacate or not consider the jury’s verdict,” she asked previously, “and to think that this honorable and fair judge did not sentence within the guidelines that he was afforded to?”
“I don’t know where everyone’s coming from — if it’s because my son was Black, or because it was attempted shoplifting, or because he’s not here to defend himself.”
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano was more blunt, calling the decision “absolute garbage” and accusing Youngkin of political motivation. “It’s outrageous because it has nothing to do with the law or the facts,” Descano said. “It has everything to do with Glenn Youngkin’s political ambition and trying to get on Donald Trump’s radar.”
Fairfax NAACP condemns commutation of officer’s sentence in Tysons Corner shooting https://t.co/UnypcRQbXG
— Clancy and Angel Tobie (and Mom) (@tc1242000) March 8, 2025
During his trial, Shifflett testified that Johnson’s “motor functions were operating more quickly than I could verbalize,” explaining why he fired so quickly after issuing commands. Prosecutors argued the shooting escalated immediately and unnecessarily, especially given that Johnson was unarmed and fleeing.
The case has become another flashpoint in the broader national debate over policing, race, and the legal protections afforded to officers who use deadly force. Yet, the outcome reinforced a familiar pattern: a Black man killed during a low-level accusation, accountability briefly imposed, then swiftly erased.
For Johnson’s family, the pardon closed the door on any remaining sense of justice. Shifflett, once sentenced to prison, now walks free — his conviction wiped clean, his actions officially deemed reasonable by the state’s highest office.
