Ex-police officer accused of killing shoplifting suspect goes on trial in Virginia

Associated Press/Report for America

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A former northern Virginia police officer went on trial in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man suspected of shoplifting a pair of sunglasses. Wesley Shifflett is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon in the killing of 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson in February 2023. Two officers chased and opened fire on Johnson, but Shifflett fired the fatal shot. He has said he saw Johnson reaching for a weapon in his waistband. Police searched for a weapon but found nothing. The Fairfax County Police Department fired Shifflett the following month. The former officer’s trial began Tuesday.