Police Use of Force and Accountability

House Homeland Security Committee Democrats have been holding "shadow" impeachment hearings and a rapidly growing number of House Democrats — led by Rep. Robin Kelly — have co‑sponsored three articles accusing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem of obstruction of Congress, violations of public trust, and self‑dealing, with leadership figures including Hakeem Jeffries warning they will move to impeach if President Trump does not remove her. The push, occurring amid internal Democratic debate over impeachment versus using appropriations and operational limits and amid some bipartisan calls for Noem to resign, coincides with a formal Feb. 10 Homeland Security oversight hearing featuring ICE Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, even as the White House and many Republicans defend Noem.

Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker said Tuesday that seven Haverhill, Massachusetts police officers will not face criminal charges in the July 11, 2025 death of 43‑year‑old Francis Gigliotti, who became unresponsive while being held prone outside a fish market during what relatives described as a mental‑health crisis. Tucker said an autopsy found Gigliotti died from cardiac dysrhythmia in the setting of combined cocaine and alcohol intoxication while being restrained face‑down, and noted the medical examiner found no injuries to his nose, throat, neck or back, though there were bruises on his limbs. Witness video shows multiple officers holding Gigliotti on his stomach as he cries out; Tucker said they kept him prone for 2 minutes and 25 seconds before he went unresponsive, then administered Narcan and CPR until EMS arrived. The case drew scrutiny because officers were not wearing body cameras and because federal guidance has warned since the 1990s that prolonged prone restraint can cause asphyxia, an issue thrust into national focus by the killing of George Floyd in neighboring Minnesota. Tucker framed the review — which included an outside expert — as "comprehensive" and said the evidence could not support criminal charges under Massachusetts law, a conclusion likely to be challenged by civil‑rights advocates who argue prone holds remain dangerously overused in mental‑health and intoxication encounters.

An MS NOW investigation found 15 federal immigration agent vehicle shootings since July. In one high‑profile case, CBP’s preliminary Office of Professional Responsibility report to Congress says two agents — a Border Patrol agent with a Glock 19 and a CBP officer with a Glock 47 — fired after an agent yelled “He’s got a gun!,” describes whistles, OC spray and a brief struggle with shots fired roughly five seconds later, notes an agent secured the suspect’s firearm in a government vehicle without clear chain‑of‑custody documentation, and partially contradicts earlier DHS and White House claims that only one agent fired “defensive shots.”

Days before leaving office, former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin granted an absolute pardon to ex‑Fairfax County police Sgt. Wesley Gonzalez Shifflett, who was convicted in 2024 of reckless handling of a firearm for the fatal 2023 shooting of unarmed shoplifting suspect Timothy McCree Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center. The newly released pardon, dated Jan. 15, 2026, declares Shifflett’s use of deadly force 'lawful and consistent' with department policy and training, effectively erasing the remaining conviction less than a year after Youngkin had already used clemency to throw out his three‑year prison sentence. Body‑camera footage showed Shifflett chasing Johnson into woods, shouting 'Get on the ground' and firing two shots about two seconds later, then telling other officers Johnson was 'reaching' toward his waistband; Johnson can be heard afterward saying, 'I don’t have nothing.' Fairfax County’s internal review likewise concluded Shifflett’s actions were 'objectively reasonable' given what he believed at the time, while Johnson’s mother has denounced Youngkin’s interventions as an affront to the jury and judge who weighed the evidence. The decision underscores how Republican governors are using expansive clemency powers to shield law‑enforcement officers in controversial killings even after mixed jury verdicts, a trend that’s drawing fresh scrutiny amid nationwide protests over police and federal‑agent shootings from Virginia to Minnesota.

A Texas jury acquitted former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales on all 29 child‑endangerment counts after roughly seven hours of deliberation, finding he did not criminally fail to confront the 2022 Robb Elementary gunman. Gonzales, who did not testify and whose defense pointed to body‑camera footage and orders from supervisors, said he has no regrets; prosecutors framed the case as enforcing law‑enforcement duties, victims’ families reacted with anger and vowed to keep seeking accountability, and former schools police chief Pete Arredondo remains charged.