Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin gestures as he delivers his annual State of the Commonwealth address before a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol, Jan. 13, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia. (AP)
"In this case, the court rejected the Senior Probation and Parole Officer’s recommendation of no incarceration nor supervised probation and instead imposed a sentence of five years’ incarceration with two suspended and an additional five years of probation," the governor continued. "Sgt. Shifflett has no prior criminal record, and was, by all accounts, an exemplary police officer. It is in the interest of justice that he be released immediately."
Youngkin also noted that his clemency does not limit Shifflett’s right to appeal his conviction for reckless discharge of a firearm.
Johnson’s mother, Melissa Johnson, said Youngkin's decision felt as if it validated Shifflett's killing of her son.
"Why now do we find it necessary to vacate or not consider the jury’s verdict, and to think that this honorable and fair judge did not sentence within the guidelines that he was afforded to?" she said at a news conference on Monday. "I don’t know where everyone’s coming from — if it's because my son was Black, or because it was attempted shoplifting, or because he’s not here to defend himself."
Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat whose office prosecuted the case, said at the news conference that the governor "stuck his face in where it didn't belong."
"If you care about having a fair justice system of Virginia that’s untainted by outside influence, Glenn Youngkin just spit your face," Descano said.
Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano speaks at an event at the Center for American Progress on Tuesday, December 17, 2019. (Getty Images)
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Johnson was heard in the footage saying, "I’m not reaching for nothing. I don’t have nothing."
Melissa Robey, executive director of the police advocacy group We Black Blue, said Monday that Shifflett's mother called her three weeks ago about her son's upcoming sentencing hearing to ask for help.
Robey, who previously worked in Youngkin's administration, said she contacted Shifflett's attorneys, who ultimately lobbied the governor for clemency.
"Somebody's got to say 'Enough is enough,'" Robey said. "These guys put that uniform on every single day — they're there for your worst day. When is it time to stand up for them?"
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/youngkin-grants-clemency-fired-police-sergeant-convicted-after-fatally-shooting-unarmed-man