Officer indicted on first degree murder charges in fatal shooting of unarmed black teen
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — A Virginia police officer who shot and killed a man in a Wal-Mart parking lot has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and using a gun in a felony...
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — A Virginia police officer who shot and killed a man in a Wal-Mart parking lot has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and using a gun in a felony.
Portsmouth Circuit Court records show a grand jury indicted city officer Stephen D. Rankin on Thursday.
Eighteen-year-old William Chapman II was shot April 22. Virginia State Police said the shooting occurred when an officer responded to a call from Wal-Mart security about shoplifting, and a struggle ensued. Chapman is black. Rankin is white.
According to The Virginian-Pilot, an autopsy showed Chapman was shot once in the face and once in the chest.
Court records do not list an attorney for Rankin. A Portsmouth police spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a voicemail message by The Associated Press. Portsmouth is about 2 miles southwest of Norfolk.
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