Conservative

Days after a judge sentenced a Virginia police officer to prison in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man accused of stealing sunglasses, the state’s Republican governor granted the fired officer clemency, meaning he won’t have to serve further time behind bars.

Wesley Shifflett, 36, was sentenced Friday to three years in prison after he was convicted of recklessly handling a firearm during the Feb. 22, 2023, shooting of Timothy McCree Johnson. The jury acquitted him of involuntary manslaughter.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin granted Shifflett clemency on Sunday, removing his prison requirement but keeping intact his felony conviction.

“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, a Republican, said Sunday. In his statement, Youngkin referred to sentencing guidelines recommending no incarceration for Shifflett that were proposed by a probation and parole officer, which is a routine practice in felony criminal sentencing.