On the evening of February 22, 2023, a 37-year-old Black man named Timothy McCree Johnson was shot and killed by a police officer in a wooded area near Tysons Corner Center in Vienna, Virginia. The incident began when Johnson was suspected of stealing sunglasses from the Nordstrom department store within the mall. An anti-theft alarm was activated as he left the store, alerting officers to the situation.
A foot chase ensued, with officers pursuing Johnson through a parking garage and into the nearby woods.
During the chase, two officers fired their weapons. One of the officers, Sergeant Wesley Shifflett, fired the shot that proved to be fatal, striking Johnson in the chest. Body camera footage of the incident captured an officer yelling 'get on the ground' before shots were fired. Another officer was heard saying 'Stop reaching.' Johnson was unarmed at the time of the shooting. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis fired Shifflett in March 2023. Initially, in April 2023, a grand jury declined to indict the former officer. However, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano sought a special grand jury, which subsequently indicted Shifflett in October 2023 on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless discharge of a weapon. The other officer involved, James Sadler, was not charged.
Wesley Shifflett's trial took place, and on October 4, 2024, a jury found him not guilty of involuntary manslaughter but convicted him of the lesser charge of reckless handling of a firearm. Shifflett’s defense attorneys argued that he believed Johnson was reaching for a weapon in his waistband and that he feared for his life. Prosecutors contended that Shifflett's actions were reckless and had lethal consequences. On February 28, 2025, Shifflett was sentenced to three years in prison for the firearm conviction.
