Shortly before leaving office, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin granted an absolute pardon to a former Fairfax County police officer who killed a man while on duty and was later convicted of reckless firearm handling.

Wesley Shifflett was one of two FCPD officers who fatally shot Timothy McCree Johnson on Feb. 22, 2023. 

Johnson, who was unarmed at the time of his death, had allegedly shoplifted sunglasses from Tysons Corner Center. 

In the Jan. 15 pardon, Youngkin cited a report from the independent police auditor of Fairfax County as a reason for removing the conviction. 

Since the report “concluded that it was objectively reasonable for Sgt. Wesley Gonzalez Shifflett to believe he was in significant danger of death or serious physical injury,” Youngkin wrote, it meant “the deadly force used by Sgt. Wesley Gonzalez Shifflett on February 22, 2023, was both lawful and consistent with the department’s policy and training.” 

The pardon removes Shifflett’s conviction; he previously received clemency from Youngkin in March 2025, two days after his conviction for recklessly handling a firearm. A Fairfax judge had sentenced him to five years, with two years suspended, and an additional five years of probation. 

A jury acquitted Shifflett of involuntary manslaughter. 

“I can’t speak to the governor’s thinking but there were a lot of factors at play in Sgt. Shifflett’s conviction,” Caleb Kershner, Shifflett’s attorney, told VPM News. “An officer training Fairfax County police officers testified that Sgt. Shifflett’s use of force aligned with how he was trained.” 

Carl Crews, an attorney for Johnson’s family, declined to comment. A spokesperson for the office of Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, which prosecuted the case, referred VPM News to Descano’s prior statements on Youngkin’s grant of clemency. 

“I’m outraged at Youngkin’s decision tonight,” Descano said at the time. “This is an insult to all Virginians who value an untainted justice system.” 

Youngkin, who left office on Jan. 17, did not release information about the pardons and clemency he granted. The Virginia General Assembly recently posted a report on clemency actions in Youngkin’s last year as governor. 

Shifflett was the only absolute pardon. 

The last three reports filed to the General Assembly indicated Youngkin had granted absolute pardons to two men in his first three years, including one convicted of disorderly conduct after a scuffle at a Loudoun County School Board meeting. 

In his March 2025 statement, Youngkin said he was “convinced” that Shifflett’s sentence was unjust but did not mention innocence. The report Youngkin cited came out after Shifflett’s conviction on April 7. 

Absolute pardons are typically used after all appeal avenues are exhausted and when a governor is convinced a person is innocent of a charge. 

“I am convinced that the court’s sentence of incarceration is unjust and violates the cornerstone of our justice system—that similarly situated individuals receive proportionate sentences,” Youngkin said at the time. 

“I want to emphasize that a jury acquitted Sgt. Shifflett of the more serious charge of involuntary manslaughter, a conviction for which the sentencing guidelines recommend no jail time or up to six months’ incarceration.”