The Fairfax County, Virginia, officer who shot and killed 37-year-old Timothy Johnson during an alleged shoplifting incident last month was fired, the police chief said Thursday as bodycam video showing the fatal encounter was released.
Johnson was killed Feb. 22 by police responding to a reported theft at Tysons Corner Center mall.
Loss prevention officers at the mall notified Fairfax County police about a person stealing sunglasses from Nordstrom. The loss prevention officers led police to Johnson, who fled, Chief Kevin Davis previously said.
Officer James Sadler and Sgt. Wesley Shifflett chased Johnson as he ran out of the mall and into a small wooded area about a quarter of a mile away, according to the chief. One of the officers was in plain clothes.
The video shows an officer yelling for Johnson to “stop reaching” and “get on the ground.” Shots can be heard in the video.
The chief previously said that during the chase “something happened” that prompted both officers to fire their weapons. One officer fired two shots and the other fired once. Davis said Thursday they are still investigating why the officers discharged their weapons and declined to comment on whether Johnson was actually reaching for anything at the time he was shot.
Johnson, 37, of D.C., was struck once in the chest and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Two pairs of sunglasses were recovered from the scene, according to the chief.
A police spokesperson said Shifflett was the officer who was fired the fatal shot. He was served an “administrative separation” for “failure to live up to our expectation,” the chief said.
Sadler is on modified restrictive duty.
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Johnson’s family and their attorney, Carl Crews, viewed the video Wednesday night. Crews called the death “an execution.”
“It doesn’t show the officer faced any danger, imminent or otherwise,” he said at a news conference. “Justice delayed is justice denied. This officer should not have his freedom at this point.”
Sadler has been with the department for eight years and Shifflett for seven years. A criminal and administrative investigation remains ongoing.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
