Testimony begins in trial for ex-sergeant charged in killing of Virginia shoplifting suspect

Associated Press/Report for America

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Opening statements and testimony have begun in the trial of a former northern Virginia police sergeant charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man. Prosecutors said former Sgt. Wesley Shifflett recklessly discharged his service gun. The victim, Timothy McCree Johnson, was suspected of shoplifting sunglasses near a busy shopping mall. Shifflett and another officer chased Johnson into a wooded area. Shifflett fired twice, hitting Johnson fatally. Shifflett’s attorney said Wednesday that his client feared for his life, believing Johnson had a weapon. Shifflett was fired, and a special grand jury indicted him last October.