FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 3, 2024

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Condemns the Governor’s Commutation of Former Officer Wesley Shifflett’s Sentence

Richmond, VA—On March 2, Governor Glenn Youngkin commuted a three-year prison sentence of former Fairfax County Police Sergeant Wesley Shifflett, allowing him to walk free after just two nights in jail. In 2023, Shifflett chased, shot, and killed 37-year-old father of three, Timothy McCree Johnson, outside Tysons Corner Center mall for the alleged crime of stealing sunglasses.

Following Shifflett’s conviction for the reckless handling of a firearm, Johnson’s mother acknowledged “that most Black and Brown families that find themselves in this situation do not get this far… Today’s verdict has provided Mr. Shifflett a second chance—a benefit that my son, Timothy McCree Johnson, was not afforded.”

Members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus believe this pardon is reckless and a gross misuse of power that threatens public safety. We will not allow him to use the chaos his friends are causing in Washington as cover to evade consequences as he places a recently convicted, violent criminal back in our communities.

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The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) is made up of 32 members in the Virginia General Assembly. VLBC is committed to improving the economic, educational, political, and social conditions of African Americans and underrepresented groups in Virginia. A vital part of VLBC’s mission is to raise the consciousness of other groups to the contributions made by African Americans to the Commonwealth and the Nation.