Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is granting clemency to a former Fairfax County police sergeant who killed an unarmed man.

On Friday, a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge sentenced former police sergeant Wesley Shifflett to three years in prison for reckless handling of a firearm after he killed an unarmed man suspected of stealing sunglasses. Then, over the weekend, Governor Glenn Youngkin granted clemency to the officer, saying the three-year sentence is "unjust."

Gene Rossi is a former federal prosecutor who says he's never heard of a governor reversing a judge within hours of a sentencing.

"A life was taken. Somebody was killed, and that is a major factor," Rossi says. "Was it premeditated murder or manslaughter? No. But a police officer did take the life of a defendant who was unarmed, and I think at a minimum three years is a just punishment."

The Fairfax officer was acquitted of manslaughter and convicted of reckless handling of a firearm, a circumstance that leads legal expert Rich Kelsey to say the governor made the right call here.

"I think in the governor's view, jail time was attached because the reckless discharge was attached to a death," Kelsey explains. "The problem with that is that the man was found not guilty with respect for being responsible for the death. So, I think it's a just outcome."

The Fairfax officer will have no further jail time, although the conviction stands for now unless it's overturned on appeal.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio , was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association .