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Former Virginia Police Officer Convicted for Killing African American Teen

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) - Prosecutors in Virginia have won a rare conviction of a white former police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen suspected of shoplifting.

The guilty verdict Thursday was for voluntary manslaughter, a lesser charge than the original first-degree murder count. And the jury recommended a 2  1/2 year prison sentence for Stephen Rankin, a punishment far below the decade prosecutors had sought.

The outcome is typical of the rare conviction that follows a shooting by police, said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Rankin's formal sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 12. A judge cannot increase the jury's recommended sentence, but he could reduce it.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.