DC - Police officer Wesley Shifflett fired after allegedly killing an unarmed Timothy Johnson, 37, who was accused of retail theft - 3/25/23

[Bishop Black]

Video Shows Police Killing of Fleeing, Unarmed Black Man Accused of Stealing Sunglasses: 'An Execution'

Timothy Johnson, 37, of Washington D.C. was fatally shot by police outside of the Tysons Corner Shopping Center in Virginia on Feb. 22.

people.com

A police officer in Virginia was fired this week after newly-released body-camera footage showed the moment in February that led to the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man accused of stealing sunglasses from a shopping mall.

The fired officer — who officials later identified as Sgt. Wesley Shifflett — was one of two cops who chased 37-year-old Timothy Johnson, of Washington D.C., as he fled outside of the Tysons Corner Shopping Center on Feb. 22, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said, per the outlet.

Loss prevention officers called police just before 6:30 p.m. that day about a possible thief at the Nordstrom store in the mall, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Once police arrived, an anti-theft alarm was sounded, which is when police say Johnson fled the scene.

The body-camera footage shows an officer running through a retail store and then chasing Johnson into a parking garage and outside to a wooded area, where officers can be heard continuously telling him to "get on the ground" and "stop reaching."

Moments later, several shots can be heard in the video, but it's uncertain where Johnson was in the frame.

 

[LadyL]

so they thought he was reaching for a weapon? that video won't load for me so I haven't seen the footage