PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Portsmouth City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to reimburse legal fees for two police officers who were cleared in separate shooting cases.
Under the ordinances adopted Tuesday, police officer Jeremy Durocher will receive $54,091 after he was found not guilty of unlawful wounding back in December. His attorney successfully argued Durocher didn’t act with malice when he shot a burglary suspect three times in 2017.
Meanwhile retired police officer Vincent McClean will receive $176,865 after his manslaughter case in the 2018 death of Carmeita “Carly” VanGilder was dismissed in May. The judge in the case said he made the rare motion to strike due to lack of evidence.
Both cases were brought forward by Portsmouth’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.