U.S. Army National Guard Military Police, assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force, survey their surroundings as they conduct a safety patrol of Beale Street in Memphis, Tn., May. 24, 2026. (Landon Evans/U.S. Army National Guard)
WASHINGTON — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the circumstances surrounding two Tennessee National Guardsmen involved in shooting and killing a man early Sunday morning in Memphis.
Officers from the Memphis Police Department were responding to a shots-fired call at around 4 a.m. CST when they observed several people leaving the area, the MPD said in a statement.
The officers engaged in a foot pursuit of a man with a handgun, identified as Tyrin Johnson, 20, the TBI said.
National Guard soldiers, on assignment as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, joined the pursuit.
Johnson allegedly turned his weapon on the soldiers, prompting the guardsmen to open fire.
Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid, Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Darrin Haas said in a statement to the Associated Press.
No officers or soldiers were injured in the shooting, according to the TBI.
The Guard members are part of a federal task force in Memphis created by President Donald Trump, who last year sent troops and federal agents to Democrat-run cities that he described as overrun with crime. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, had deployed the Guard to support the effort.
Federal troops have patrolled Memphis since October over the objections of Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, the AP reported.
The task force has led to more than 10,000 arrests, the U.S. Marshals Service reported in June.
There have been at least four officer-involved shootings tied to the task force, according to TBI data reviewed by the AP. Two of those shootings occurred in May and did not involve National Guard members discharging their weapons. The TBI also tied the task force to an October shooting but did not specify which law enforcement agencies were involved.
