Youngkin pardoned the officer who killed an unarmed man; Fairfax paid $1.1 million
On February 22, 2023, Fairfax County Police Sgt. Wesley Shifflett fatally shot Timothy McCree Johnson, 37, who was unarmed, after a chase from Tysons Corner Center over two pairs of allegedly shoplifted sunglasses. A jury acquitted Shifflett of manslaughter and convicted him of reckless handling of a firearm; he received a three-year sentence. Gov. Glenn Youngkin granted clemency in March 2025, removing the prison term, and on January 15, 2026, two days before leaving office, granted him an absolute pardon, the only absolute pardon on his final clemency list, citing a Fairfax Independent Police Auditor report. Youngkin did not publicly release information about the pardon at the time. Fairfax County agreed on December 4, 2025 to pay Johnson's mother $1.1 million, including $440,000 in attorney's fees, to settle her wrongful death suit.
"The case has been resolved and the appeal will be dismissed."
Glenn Youngkin granted an absolute pardon to a former Fairfax County police officer who killed a man while on duty and was later convicted of reckless firearm handling.
His attorney said there were many factors in the conviction.
Pardon said the deadly force was "both lawful and consistent with the department's policy and training."
No outcome recorded yet.