Ex-Fairfax Officer Convicted Of Gun Charge In Death Of Man Suspected Of Stealing

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A former Fairfax County police officer has been convicted of a gun charge in connection with the shooting death of a Black man accused of stealing a pair of designer sunglasses from Nordstrom at Tysons Corner Center.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said Friday that a jury convicted Wesley Shifflett of reckless discharge of a firearm in the death of Timothy McCree Johnson. Shifflett was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Johnson, 37, was shot and killed on Feb. 22, 2023, in a wooded area near the shopping mall after a foot chase and orders by officers to get on the ground, according to police. He was taken by medics to an area hospital, where he died.

An officer saw Johnson leaving Nordstrom near a parking garage. As he left the store, an anti-theft alarm was activated, police said. The suspect then ran through the parking garage, across the parking lot and into a wooded area while the officers gave him repeated commands to get on the ground, according to police.

Two police officers fired their guns, according to police, striking Johnson in the chest one time.

Shifflett was indicted by a special grand jury in October 2023.

Throughout the trial, Shifflett's lawyers argued that he was simply doing his job when he fired twice at Johnson, according to a Washington Post report. Lawyers said Shifflett also believed he saw Johnson reaching for his waistband.

Meanwhile, prosecutors portrayed Shifflett as a man who made a reckless decision with lethal consequences, the Post reported.

Speaking outside the courthouse, Johnson’s mother, Melissa Johnson, said she accepted the jury's verdict, according to the Post.

“I want to acknowledge that most Black and brown families who find themselves in the same situation do not get this far. And so I am grateful,” she said.