Overview
- Two Tennessee National Guard members shot and killed 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson during a foot chase in downtown Memphis after officers responded to a shots-fired call, and authorities say Johnson turned toward the soldiers with a handgun.
- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened an independent probe at the request of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy to determine the full sequence of events that led to the shooting.
- Two National Guard medical specialists provided first aid at the scene but Johnson was pronounced dead, and officials say no law enforcement officers were injured.
- The guardsmen were operating as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, a federal-backed operation launched last autumn that places state National Guard troops and federal agents in the city to assist local police; the troops are serving under state authority rather than being federalized.
- Sunday's fatal shooting intensifies political and legal pressure on the deployment after earlier task-force shootings and pending lawsuits over oversight and rules for civilian recording, and investigators, local leaders and residents will be watching the TBI findings for possible changes to mission tactics and accountability measures.