Former Portsmouth police officer Stephen Rankin will keep his restored firearm rights after a judge ruled in his favor Thursday, following a dispute over prosecutors’ attempt to reverse an earlier order.
Rankin was a Portsmouth police officer when he fatally shot 18-year-old William Chapman outside a Walmart in 2015 while responding to a report of shoplifting. A jury convicted Rankin of voluntary manslaughter, and he served two and a half years in prison.
Rankin petitioned the court in July to restore his firearm rights. The court granted his petition Sept. 4 after the Commonwealth agreed to the restoration, according to court records…