The shooting of William L. Chapman II, a black 18-year-old, on April 22, 2015, in

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

, when Chapman was shot and killed in a

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

parking lot by Portsmouth Police Officer Stephen D. Rankin. Rankin had been responding to a report of suspected shoplifting, and engaged in a physical struggle with Chapman, who instigated the altercation, while trying to arrest him. The shooting occurred approximately four years after the death of Kirill Denyakin, who died after being shot by Rankin in 2011. 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 Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender acted during ''the heat of passion'', under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed to the point that they cannot ...

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. He was shot in the face and chest. An autopsy on Chapman found no evidence of a close-range gunshot, indicating that he was shot from several feet away. 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.

Legal proceedings

The Commonwealth of Virginia's Attorney's Office announced they were seeking an indictment. On September 3, a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

indicted Rankin on a charge of

first degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Rankin turned himself in to a jail and was released on $75,000 bond. 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 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

. He received a sentence of 30 months in October 2016. Rankin was released from the

Dillwyn Correctional Center The Dillwyn Correctional Center is a state prison for men located in Dillwyn, Buckingham County, Virginia, United States. It is owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections. The facility was opened in 1993 and has a daily wor ...

on November 19, 2018.

References

{{Black Lives Matter 2015 deaths 2015 in Virginia American manslaughter victims April 2015 crimes in the United States Crimes in Virginia Deaths by firearm in Virginia Deaths by person in Virginia Police brutality in the United States Portsmouth, Virginia African Americans shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States Law enforcement in Virginia