**Manslaughter case in fatal police shooting outside Virginia mall goes to jury**
A jury has commenced deliberations on whether a former police officer should be convicted of involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting a shoplifting suspect last year outside a bustling northern Virginia shopping centre. The former officer, Wesley Shifflett, claimed he shot the suspect, Timothy McCree Johnson, in self-defence in a wooded area outside Tysons Corner Center after Johnson appeared to reach into his waistband, potentially for a gun.
Despite Johnson being unarmed, prosecutors argued that Shifflett acted recklessly by chasing Johnson into a dark, wooded area and firing two shots without confirming the presence of a firearm. The case was sent to the jury following an incident on Wednesday where prosecutors mistakenly presented unsubmitted bodycam footage during closing arguments. The footage showed Shifflett mentioning commands he did not actually give to Johnson before or after the shooting.
Defense lawyers originally considered seeking a mistrial due to this error, but ultimately chose not to on Thursday. During closing arguments, Shifflett’s defense lawyer maintained that his client believed his life was in danger when he saw Johnson reaching for his waistband, speculating that Johnson may have been discarding stolen sunglasses. The prosecutor argued that even if Johnson was indeed reaching into his waistband, Shifflett’s actions were reckless, leading to involuntary manslaughter and reckless handling of a firearm charges.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis terminated Shifflett for breaching use-of-force policies, although he acknowledged the ambiguity in the bodycam footage. The jury now holds the weight of determining the officer’s fate, considering the split-second decisions made in the high-pressure scenario.