Killing of William Chapman

On April 22, 2015, William L. Chapman II, an 18-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Portsmouth, Virginia, by Portsmouth Police Officer Stephen D. Rankin. Store security had called police at approximately 7:30 a.m. to report a suspected shoplifter leaving the premises. Rankin approached Chapman in the parking lot, and a physical struggle ensued between the two. According to witness accounts, Chapman broke free from the struggle but then stepped back toward Rankin, at which point Rankin fired two shots, striking Chapman in the face and chest. Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy found no evidence of a close-range gunshot wound, indicating Chapman had been shot from several feet away. His body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner with his hands cuffed behind his back. A state toxicology report found no traces of alcohol or drugs in Chapman's system.

The shooting occurred approximately four years after Rankin fatally shot Kirill Denyakin in a separate 2011 incident.

Following the shooting, the Commonwealth of Virginia's Attorney's Office announced it would seek an indictment against Rankin. On September 3, 2015, a grand jury indicted Rankin on charges of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Rankin turned himself in and was released on $75,000 bond.

At trial, prosecutors argued that Rankin could have used non-lethal force against Chapman. Rankin's defense contended that he resorted to shooting only after a stun gun failed to stop Chapman. Witness testimony conflicted: a crane driver stated that Chapman had acted aggressively and charged at the officer, while Wal-Mart security guard Gregory Provo, who had reported the shoplifting allegation, testified that Chapman did not charge at Rankin, but instead raised his hands in a boxing-style stance and asked, "Are you going to fucking shoot me?" while standing approximately six feet from the officer.

On August 4, 2016, a jury found Rankin not guilty of first-degree murder but guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. In October 2016, following the jury's recommendation, Rankin was sentenced to two-and-a-half years (30 months) in prison. He was released from Dillwyn Correctional Center on November 19, 2018.