National Guard members on patrol in Memphis fatally shoot man during pursuit, police say

By — Jack Brook, Associated Press Jack Brook, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/national-guard-members-on-patrol-in-memphis-fatally-shoot-man-during-pursuit-police-say Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter National Guard members on patrol in Memphis fatally shoot man during pursuit, police say Nation Jul 5, 2026 5:16 PM EDT Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned by the Trump administration to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said. The administration has ordered National Guard deployments in Memphis and five other Democrat-run cities, including New Orleans and Washington, D.C., to confront what Trump has described as an out-of-control crime wave — though violent crime in dozens of cities led by Democrats is down significantly since a pandemic high. The Guard members in Memphis were part of a troop deployment the administration launched in Tennessee's second-largest city last fall. WATCH: Trump joins Memphis Safe Task Force roundtable, initiative aimed at combating crime Local leaders in these cities have said they do not believe the federal intervention is necessary, and some have challenged the deployments in court. The soldiers in Memphis were responding with local police to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot, the city's police department said. The guardsmen opened fire after the man turned towards them with his weapon, the department said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson and said it is investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured, the agency added. Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid, Guard spokesperson Lt. Col Darrin Haas said in a statement. Johnson's older cousin, Terracle Nelson, 46, told The Associated Press that he was "as good a boy as can be." Johnson was living in Nashville, working in construction and taking university classes, she said. He had just had his first child earlier this year, she added. READ MORE: National Guard troops seen patrolling in Memphis alongside local police Nelson was present with other members of Johnson's family when authorities told them that Johnson had been shot twice in the chest. "I just want to know, how they shot a 20-year-old twice in the chest, he hadn't harmed anyone," Nelson said. Law enforcement authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the number of shots fired. The TBI declined comment on Nelson's account of the shooting. Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an "unfortunate incident" and said he was waiting to see the results of the TBI investigation before commenting further, according to a statement provided by spokesperson Penelope Huston. Federal tro