National Guard troops fatally shot a man in downtown Memphis just before 4 a.m. Sunday after officers responding to calls of shots fired saw an armed man carrying a handgun, police said.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson and said he fled on foot, pursued by Memphis police officers along with Tennessee National Guard soldiers assigned to the area.
The TBI said, "For reasons under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in two National Guard soldiers firing upon Johnson, striking and killing him." Memphis police said the man had "turned toward NG members with his weapon" before the National Guard soldiers fired and struck him. Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene, and no law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident, the TBI said.
The TBI is investigating the incident at the request of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and said agents are "working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews."
The National Guard has been patrolling in Memphis since October of last year as part of a federal task force, established by President Trump, to combat crime in Memphis.
Democratic state and local officials sued to block the deployment, which is operating under the command of Republican Gov. Bill Lee; a judge in Tennessee issued a temporary injunction blocking the deployment, and a state appeals court overturned that injunction in April, allowing the operation to continue.
Memphis has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, according to data from the FBI, but Memphis police say overall crime and violent crime were falling in 2025 even before the National Guard deployment began, and some local residents welcomed the federal intervention.
The TBI said it did not identify the soldiers who fired and directed inquiries to the respective department; Lt. Col. Darrin Haas, a spokesperson for the Tennessee National Guard, declined to identify the personnel involved and said Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an "unfortunate incident" and said he would wait for the conclusion of the TBI investigation before commenting further.
TBI data show Sunday's case was at least the fourth officer-involved shooting linked to the Memphis Safe Task Force; two of the shootings occurred in May and did not involve National Guard members discharging weapons, and the TBI also tied the task force to an October shooting but did not specify which law enforcement agencies were involved.
Johnson's cousin, Terracle Nelson, said authorities told family members that he had been shot twice in the chest. His grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said his grandson had taken classes at Tennessee State University, was the father of a young child and was preparing to help lead the family's construction business, and said he wanted to review findings from investigators and any video of the shooting before making judgment.