Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a federal crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man who turned toward them with a gun during a downtown pursuit early Sunday, according to authorities.
The soldiers, part of the Memphis Safe Task Force created by President Donald Trump, were responding to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they chased an armed man on foot. The guardsmen opened fire after the suspect turned toward them with his weapon, the Memphis Police Department said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the deceased as Tyrin Johnson, 20, and confirmed no law enforcement officers were injured. Johnson died at the scene despite two National Guard medical specialists administering first aid, said Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Darrin Haas.
Johnson’s cousin, Terracle Nelson, 46, told the Associated Press that family members were informed Johnson had been shot twice in the chest. Authorities have not yet disclosed the number of shots fired, and the TBI declined to comment on Nelson’s account.
Johnson’s grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, described his grandson as a Tennessee State University student, a father of a young child, and someone preparing to lead the family construction business. He also had a passion for making music.
“I believed in him, and I know he still had so much life ahead of him,” Evaniel Johnson said. “The heartbreaking reality is that he will never have the chance to enjoy what we were building together. That is a pain no grandparent should ever have to endure.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an “unfortunate incident” and said he would await the TBI investigation results before further comment. Federal troops have patrolled the city since October over Young’s objections.
The Memphis Safe Task Force, created by Trump and comprising federal and local agencies, has led to more than 10,000 arrests since June, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. There have been at least four officer-involved shootings tied to the task force, per TBI data. It remains unclear whether Sunday’s shooting marks the first time troops fired their weapons since deployment.
Memphis, with a population exceeding 600,000, has faced high violent crime rates, though recent data shows decreases in some categories, mirroring national trends. In April, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled that state and local Democratic officials lacked standing to block the federal troop deployment.
