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March 6, 2025

Virginia Gov. Youngkin Pardons White Cop Who Fatally Shot Black Man Accused of Shoplifting
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Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has pardoned a white police
officer just days after a judge sentenced him to three years in prison
for fatally shooting an unarmed Black man accused of shoplifting two
pairs of sunglasses from a shopping mall outside of Washington, D.C.
Officer Wesley Shifflett was sentenced on Friday to three years in
prison after a jury found him guilty of "reckless handling of a firearm"
for chasing 37-year-old Timothy Johnson into a dark, wooded area and
firing two bullets at him. Prosecutor Steve Descano condemned Youngkin's
pardon, writing, "Glenn Youngkin has spent the last four years honing
his Trump impersonation … This is an insult to all Virginians who value
an untainted justice system."


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