Tennessee National Guard fatally shoots 20-year-old man during Memphis response

Investigators say 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson was shot after an encounter during a response to reports of gunfire. The shooting remains under investigation.

A Tennessee National Guard shooting is under investigation after 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson was fatally shot by National Guard soldiers. The incident happened during an early morning response to reports of gunfire in Memphis. Authorities say Johnson was killed after the encounter escalated. However, his family is calling for transparency as investigators work to determine exactly what happened.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the incident occurred at approximately 4 a.m. on Sunday when National Guard soldiers assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force responded to reports of gunfire. During the encounter, authorities said Johnson fled before the situation escalated. Investigators said Johnson allegedly turned and pulled a firearm during the chase, prompting two National Guard soldiers to open fire. As reported by The Guardian, the TBI said Johnson died at the scene, while no officers or bystanders were injured. The agency is leading the investigation into the Tennessee National Guard shooting and has not identified the soldiers involved.

Lt. Col. Darrin Haas, a spokesperson for the Tennessee National Guard, said two National Guard medical specialists attempted lifesaving measures after the shooting, but Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. The fatal shooting comes months after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee deployed National Guard troops to Memphis in October to support federal and local law enforcement efforts targeting violent crime. The Grio had reported on the deployment of The National Guard in Memphis. The deployment, which aligned with the Trump administration’s public safety initiative, drew criticism from local leaders and prompted a legal challenge before being upheld by a state appeals court in April.

Paul Young, who opposed the deployment, described the shooting as an “unfortunate incident” and said he would wait for the findings of the TBI investigation before commenting further. Young has previously argued that crime rates in Memphis were already declining before the National Guard was deployed.

Johnson’s family has urged investigators to release all available evidence before conclusions are drawn. His cousin, Terracle Nelson, said relatives were informed that Johnson was shot twice in the chest. His grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, described the 20-year-old as a father of a young child who had attended classes at Tennessee State University and was preparing to help lead the family’s construction business.

“I believed in him, and I know he still had so much life ahead of him,” Johnson’s grandfather said, adding that the family wants to review investigative findings and any available video footage before making judgments about the Tennessee National Guard shooting. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said its inquiry remains ongoing.