Fairfax County police identified the two officers who shot at a suspected shoplifter, killing him, near Tyson’s Corner Center in Virginia.
Timothy McCree Johnson, 37, was shot once in the chest in a wooded area near Fashion Boulevard on Feb. 22 after allegedly stealing sunglasses from Nordstrom. He later died at the hospital.
A police news release identified the two officers who fired as Sgt. Wesley Shifflett, a seven-year veteran of the department and officer 1st Class James Sadler, an eight-year veteran of the department.
After receiving a report of a man exiting the store while “concealing designer sunglasses,” Shifflett and Sadler — who were on the Tysons Urban Team — followed Johnson into a heavily wooded area about a quarter mile from the mall.
Police said the officers issued commands and, at some point, discharged their firearms.
Questions remain over what led up to the shooting that prompted the officers to fire. There’s no evidence that Johnson was armed at the time of the shooting, police said.
In line with department policy, both officers are on restricted duty status during the investigation and body-worn camera footage will be released within 30 days.
Johnson’s mother and the NAACP of Fairfax County are calling for an independent investigation into his killing.
