Guardsmen part of Trump-ordered federal task force
A man fleeing Memphis police early Sunday was fatally shot after turning toward pursuing National Guard soldiers while holding a weapon, according to authorities.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as Tyrin Johnson, 20, and said it is investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured, the agency confirmed.
The Memphis Police Department said officers responded to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. and began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot. National Guard soldiers assigned to a federal-state task force joined the pursuit, and opened fire after Johnson turned toward them with his weapon, the department said.
The soldiers were part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, a federal initiative created by Trump, who last year dispatched troops and federal agents to Democrat-run cities he described as overrun with crime. Lee, a Republican, deployed the Tennessee National Guard to support the effort.
The task force has faced legal challenges. In May, four Memphis residents filed a federal lawsuit alleging that task force personnel harassed, arrested, and physically mistreated them for observing and recording law enforcement activity in public. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, representing the plaintiffs, alleged that the task force violated First Amendment rights.
The TBI said its investigation into the shooting is ongoing. No additional details about Johnson’s weapon or the sequence of events leading to the shooting have been released.