VA Governor grants clemency to former cop convicted of mishandling firearm leading to death

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has granted clemency to a former police sergeant who shot and killed an unarmed man accused of stealing sunglasses. 36 year old Wesley Shifflett was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday after he was convicted of recklessly handling a firearm during the Febuary 2023 shooting of Timothy McCree Johnson. The jury acquitted him of involuntary manslaughter. Youngkin’s executive action Sunday means Shifflett will serve no further time behind bars, but his felony conviction will remain. Steve Descano, the commonwealth’s attorney whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement that he was outraged by the governor’s decision.