Federalized Tennessee National Guard soldiers fatally shot Tyrin Johnson during Memphis foot pursuit

Early on the morning of July 5, 2026, two Tennessee National Guard soldiers assigned to the Trump administration's federal Memphis Safe Task Force fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson during a foot pursuit in downtown Memphis. Memphis police said officers and Guard members were responding to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they saw an armed man fleeing on foot; the soldiers opened fire after Johnson "turned toward NG members with his weapon," police said. Johnson was struck twice in the chest and pronounced dead at the scene despite first aid from two National Guard medical specialists. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry at the request of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, said the circumstances that led to the shooting remain under investigation and that no law enforcement personnel were injured.

The shooting is the first fatality attributable to the federalized National Guard deployment in Memphis, which began in October 2025 as part of a task force President Trump established over the objection of Memphis Mayor Paul Young, even as local police data showed violent crime had reached a 25-year low before the deployment. Democratic state and local officials sued to block the deployment on state constitutional grounds; a Tennessee judge issued a temporary injunction in November 2025 that a state appeals court overturned in April 2026, allowing the operation to continue. Separately, Memphis residents represented by the ACLU have a pending federal lawsuit alleging the task force has retaliated against people who film its operations.

Mayor Young called the shooting an "unfortunate incident" and said he was awaiting the results of the TBI investigation before commenting further.

Updates

2026-07-08 — Family publicly demanded release of video; TBI review ongoing [3]

Tyrin Johnson's grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, publicly demanded release of video footage before accepting the official account that Tyrin turned toward Guard members with a gun, saying "Show me the video... Until you show me that, I'm gonna fight and advocate for my grandson." The Memphis Police Department declined to say what footage exists or when it would be released. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed two guard members fired their weapons and that Johnson was shot twice in the chest; its review remains open. Tennessee Senate Democratic leaders and State Rep. Justin Pearson called for the video's release and, in Pearson's case, for the task force to be disbanded; the ACLU of Tennessee also called for the task force to be shut down. Records showed Johnson had no significant criminal history beyond minor traffic violations.

2026-08-27 — Autopsy contradicted official account of the shooting [4]

An autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press found a single bullet entered the right side of Johnson's back and exited his upper right chest on a slightly upward trajectory, consistent with him running away — contradicting the National Guard's account that he turned toward the soldiers before they fired. A forensic pathologist who reviewed the report for the AP said the absence of soot, gunpowder stippling, or a muzzle imprint around the wound indicated Johnson was shot from more than three feet away. The medical examiner's office did not respond to a request for comment. The manner of death is listed as homicide; no charges have been filed and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the case remains open.