Former cop’s lawyers say he intended to kill unarmed shoplifting suspect

On By Rgal Nv

WASHINGTON – Lawyers for a former northern Virginia police officer charged with manslaughter told a judge he intended to kill an unarmed man suspected of stealing a pair of sunglasses.

Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of Timothy McCree Johnson, 37, near a busy shopping center on February 22, 2023. Shifflett and another Fairfax County police officer chased Johnson on foot after receiving a report from security guards that Johnson had stolen sunglasses from a Nordstrom department store in Tysons Corner Center.

Fairfax County prosecutors rested their case against Shifflett on Monday.

Shifflett’s lawyers told the judge Monday that he intended to kill Johnson as he fled Tyson’s Mall.

“Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter – a crime of criminal negligence, that is, a callous disregard for human life, such as dropping a bowling ball from a tall building or shooting into a crowd,” a statement said. said FOX 5’s Katie Barlow. “Shifflett’s attorney said any reasonable person would conclude from these images that Shifflett intended to kill and that it was himself.–defense. The argument is this: because he intended to kill Johnson, he cannot be guilty of involuntary manslaughter. »

Police body camera footage shows the nighttime chase and shooting. In the footage, Shifflett can be heard ordering Johnson to stay on the ground and later to “stop reaching.” Both officers opened fire, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot.

Later, Shifflett told another officer that he saw the suspect reach into his waistband for a gun. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing.

Johnson was unarmed.

The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett for what Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis called “failure to meet our agency’s expectations, particularly use of force policies.” .

Fairfax County Judge Randy Bellows called the argument peculiar on several levels before denying the defense’s request to dismiss the case.

Jurors also heard from another Tyson officer at the scene, who said Tyson had become a high-crime area, particularly over the past three years, with fights and foot chases more frequent.

Closing arguments are expected Tuesday or Wednesday.