Killing of William Chapman
Date | April 22, 2015 |
---|---|
Time | 7:30 a.m. |
Location | First degree murder |
Convictions | Voluntary manslaughter |
The killing of William L. Chapman II, a black 18-year-old, occurred on April 22, 2015, in
In September 2015, Rankin was indicted on the charge of first-degree murder in Chapman's death, and was found guilty by a jury of voluntary manslaughter on August 4, 2016.
Shooting
Wal-Mart store security called police at 7:30 a.m., reporting that a shoplifter was leaving the store. Rankin approached William Chapman across the parking lot, and a struggle between the two ensued. According to witnesses, Chapman broke free but then stepped back towards Rankin, at which point Rankin shot him twice.[1][3][4][5][6] He was shot in the face and chest.[7] An autopsy on Chapman found no evidence of a close-range gunshot, indicating that he was shot from several feet away.[8] He was pronounced dead at the scene. Chapman's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner with his hands cuffed behind his back. A state toxicology report indicated Chapman had no traces of alcohol or drugs in his system.[9]
Legal proceedings
The Commonwealth of Virginia's Attorney's Office announced they were seeking an indictment.
Prosecutors said that Rankin could have used non-lethal force. Rankin's defense said that he had to shoot Chapman after a stun gun failed to stop him. A crane driver stated that Chapman had acted aggressively toward the police officer and had charged at him. However Gregory Provo, a Wal-Mart security guard who reported the allegations of Chapman shoplifting, testified that Chapman never charged at the officer, and had his hands raised in a boxing-style, and said "Are you going to fucking shoot me?" when he was standing six feet (1.8 m) away from Chapman. On August 4, 2016, Rankin was found not guilty by a jury of first-degree murder, but was found guilty on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.[13] He received a sentence of 30 months in October 2016.[14] Rankin was released from the Dillwyn Correctional Center on November 19, 2018.[15]
Also See
References
- ^ a b Swaine, Jon (August 24, 2015). "Autopsy indicates officer shot unarmed teen William Chapman from distance". the Guardian.
- ^ "Stephen Rankin: the military-trained officer who killed two unarmed men". The Guardian. June 1, 2015.
- ^ Jon Swaine (June 2015). "William Chapman: unarmed 18-year-old shot dead by officer who killed before". the Guardian.
- ^ "Portsmouth officer who shot 18-year-old killed another in 2011". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ "Police fatally shot man in Portsmouth, handcuffed him, paper reports". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ "Prosecutor reviewing evidence from 2 fatal officer-involved shootings investigations". The Virginian-Pilot.
- ^ WAVY.
- ^ Jon Swaine (August 27, 2015). "William Chapman: state official will seek to prosecute officer who killed teenager". the Guardian.
- ^ Hafner, Katherine (September 5, 2015). "Portsmouth officer charged in shooting death is released on bond". Hampton Roads.
- ^ M. Alex Johnson (September 3, 2015). "Cop Fired After Indictment in Killing of Virginia Teen William Chapman". NBC News.
- ^ Jon Swaine (September 3, 2015). "Police officer indicted for first-degree murder in death of unarmed teenager". the Guardian.
- ^ "Virginia police officer indicted for murder in April shooting". Reuters. September 3, 2015.
- ^ "Verdict reached for former officer accused in black teen's killing". CBS News. August 4, 2016.
- ^ "Ex-Portsmouth Officer Stephen Rankin gets 2½ years, won't remain free during appeal".
- ^ "Ex-Portsmouth officer Stephen Rankin released from prison in fatal shooting". November 19, 2018.