Two Tennessee National Guard soldiers assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) shot and killed Tyrin Johnson, 20, in downtown Memphis early Sunday, the task force’s third fatal shooting in eight months.

Memphis police officers responding to a 4 a.m. shots-fired call on July 5 pursued Johnson on foot near the intersection of Ida B. Wells Avenue and Union Avenue, with Guard soldiers nearby joining the chase.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), investigating at the district attorney general’s request, said “the situation escalated, resulting in two National Guard soldiers firing upon Johnson, striking and killing him.” Memphis police stated that Johnson “turned toward NG members with his weapon” before soldiers fired. National Guard medics provided first aid, but Johnson died at the scene.

Johnson’s cousin, Terracle Nelson, told The Associated Press that family members were informed he had been shot twice in the chest. His grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said he is withholding judgment pending any video release. “I believed in him, and I know he still had so much life ahead of him,” he said.

Sunday’s shooting marks the sixth TBI investigation triggered by MSTF incidents since October 2025. Two prior encounters proved fatal. DEA agents fatally shot Darrin Pigram, 41, in May while serving a warrant. A week later, a Homeland Security special agent shot Jonah Neal inside a residence. 

An official autopsy determination regarding the agent’s bullet versus a self-inflicted wound has not yet been publicly released.

The MSTF was established via a Trump executive order in September 2025, incorporating the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, DEA, ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security, with Guard troops operating under Gov. Bill Lee’s authority.

At the task force’s October 2025 launch, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told personnel, “You are unleashed.”

TBI stated it will not determine whether the soldiers’ actions were justified or identify those involved.