A police officer in Northern Virginia has been fired from his job.
Fairfax County Officers James Sadler and Sgt. Wesley Shifflett were responding to an incident at Tysons Corner Mall last month when they were both “prompted” to pull their weapons on a shoplifting suspect.
NBC News reports the following about the incident:
“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.”
Body camera footage from the incident was released as well, as part of the process of investigating this incident.