3 hours ago
Two Tennessee Guard members shot dead an armed man during a downtown Memphis pursuit early Sunday. The killing sharpens scrutiny of the federally backed troop deployment as investigations and court challenges continue.
Image used for representational purposes only
Memphis,UPDATED: Jul 6, 2026 01:42 IST
Two Tennessee Guard members on a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man during a downtown pursuit early on Sunday after he turned towards them with a gun, authorities said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the man as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson and said it is examining the circumstances of the shooting.
The incident took place amid a troop deployment launched by the Trump administration in Memphis last autumn. The deployment, which local leaders have opposed, is part of a wider federal push that has also led to legal challenges in the city.
The Memphis Police Department said the Guard members were working with local police after reports of gunshots at around 4 am. Officers then began chasing an armed man who was fleeing on foot in the downtown area. The guardsmen opened fire after the man turned towards them with his weapon, the department said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said no law enforcement officers were injured. Guard spokesperson Lt Col Darrin Haas said Johnson died at the scene after two Guard medical specialists tried to give him first aid.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an "unfortunate incident" and said he was waiting for the TBI investigation to be completed before commenting further, according to a statement provided by spokesperson Penelope Huston.
Federal troops have been patrolling Memphis since October despite objections from Young, a Democrat, and with the support of Republican Governor Bill Lee. The troops are part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, set up by Trump and made up of federal and local agencies. Memphis, a city of more than 600,000 people, has for years dealt with high levels of violent crime, including assaults, carjackings and homicides. Democratic and Republican officials have said some crime categories fell last year, before the deployment, in line with trends seen in other US cities.
The Trump administration has ordered Guard deployments in six Democrat-run cities, including New Orleans and Washington, DC. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the deployments cost nearly half a billion dollars through the end of December and are expected to cost taxpayers more than USD 1 billion this year. Leaders in these cities have said they do not believe the federal intervention is needed, and some have challenged the deployments in court.
In April, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled that state and local Democratic officials did not have standing to block the deployment of federal troops in Memphis. In May, four Memphis residents filed a federal lawsuit that is still pending, seeking to stop the federal task force from using a law that bars residents from coming within 25 feet of law enforcement officers to record their activities. The residents, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, also alleged that task force members had retaliated against them for filming operations, saying they had been followed by law enforcement officers and that unmarked vehicles and people in tactical vests had appeared outside their homes after they observed the task force.
The shooting of Johnson has now added to the scrutiny around the federal deployment in Memphis, with investigators examining the incident and legal challenges to the task force continuing.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jul 6, 2026 01:42 IST
