Memphis Shooting: Video Reveals Guard Aimed Guns at Wounded Man

Tennessee National Guard members aimed handguns at a man lying on a Memphis sidewalk after one of their colleagues shot him, according to video released by county prosecutors on Monday. Tyrin Johnson, 20, died at the scene of the July 5 incident, which is currently under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The Shelby County District Attorney’s office made the recordings public, including police body cameras, stationary cameras, and a bystander’s cellphone footage.

Investigators confirmed that Johnson was armed and died from a single gunshot wound. However, an autopsy report obtained by his family states the bullet struck his back. This finding contradicts the accounts given by police and the National Guard, who said Johnson was facing the troops with a gun when they opened fire. The newly released videos do not capture the initial encounter or the moment the shots were fired.

Authorities stated that troops and local police were responding to reports of gunfire around 4 a.m. when they pursued an armed man on foot. Street camera footage shows a person in dark clothing firing across an empty parking lot toward three people on a sidewalk. A police body camera records two officers hearing nearby shots and running toward the source while reporting over the radio that they were chasing a man with a gun. A separate recording from a moving officer captures shouting, one gunshot, and several subsequent gunfire sounds.

A National Guard report obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request states that two guard members responded to the police radio call. The report says they exited their vehicle, approached the suspect, and watched him turn toward them while aiming a tan handgun. Both guard members then fired their M17 service handguns. After the shooting, body camera footage shows troops aiming their weapons at Johnson while ordering him to show his hands and turn over. At least six guard members were present immediately after the incident. One guard member moved a handgun on the ground before a police officer told him to stop. An officer requested an ambulance and asked about medical supplies. Near the end of the recording, a guard member began cutting off Johnson’s shirt.

District Attorney Steve Mulroy has not yet decided whether to bring charges. Ed Yarbrough, a lawyer representing the two guard members, said they had no comment at this time. The Tennessee National Guard did not immediately answer requests for comment by phone or email. André C Wharton, a lawyer for Johnson’s family, noted that the videos omit the shooting and the moments directly preceding it. He said investigators must focus on whether firing the fatal shot was reasonable.

The troops belonged to a federal task force established by President Donald Trump, who sent troops and federal agents last year to Democratic-run cities he described as overwhelmed by crime. Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, deployed guard members to support that effort. The task force was involved in four fatal shootings from May through July. Johnson’s grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said his grandson had a young child and was preparing to help lead the family’s construction business.