Former Virginia Cop Indicted for Shooting Unarmed Man Has a History of Pulling Out Gun on Shoplifting Suspects; Attorney Argues That’s ‘Irrelevant’
Wesley Shifflett — the former Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer who was indicted for fatally shooting an unarmed man suspected of stealing at a mall — has a history of pointing his gun at other accused shoplifters, according to a new report.
In Feb 2023, Shifflet and another officer chased and shot at 37-year-old Timothy McCree Johnson near Tysons Corner Center, a popular shopping mall in the DMV area.
It came after a security guard believed Johnson stole sunglasses from Nordstrom. Although both cops fired their weapons, Shifflett’s bullet is what led to Johnson’s death. He was terminated from the department weeks after the incident.
Initially, a grand jury didn’t indict Shifflett, but Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano wanted to launch a new investigation. Shifflett was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon based on the decision of a special grand jury in October, NBC News reported.
“The work of public safety includes charging officers for crimes when such actions are legally warranted,” Descano said. “Our nation’s justice system has historically been stacked in favor of protecting powerful institutions and individuals, and it is no small feat that the grand jurors returned a true bill after reviewing this matter.”
According to a report from The Washington Post, Shifflett has pulled his weapon on unarmed suspects on two other occasions. Just days before the shooting involving Johnson, Shifflett and another officer were investigating a man suspected of being linked to other crimes in the area.
The man was inside looking at the shades in Bloomingdale’s but left them behind because he felt like police were on to him, the outlet reported. He went to the parking lot and hopped in the vehicle with a woman in the passenger’s seat.
When he attempted to exit, he was confronted by Shifflett and his supervisor, Lt. William Arnest. It was at that time, according to the Post, which obtained footage from the public defender’s office, that Shifflett pointed his gun into the passenger’s window.
In a written report, Shifflett said he “held it in a modified ready position while giving commands” to the woman he claimed was touching her waistband, per The Washington Post. He added that he ordered her to “keep her hand visible.”
“Why would you be pulling a gun at people who you think stole a pair of sunglasses?” the suspect, who was not identified, told the outlet. “Why didn’t they stop me before I got to my car? Did they want to play superhero?”
The suspect was hit with theft and concealing weapon charges after officers found brass knuckles in his possession, according to the report. However, they were dismissed a few months later.
In another similar incident, Shifflett pulled out his gun on a man accused of shoplifting multiple items in the mall. He was charged, but it was also later dropped. Shifflett’s attorney argued that those previous instances have no connection to the Johnson case.
“Whether he pulled a gun in the past or didn’t, it’s really irrelevant to the criminal case,” attorney Caleb Kershner said in an interview with The Washington Post. “There are important reasons why police officers pull guns.”