Tennessee National Guard Video Shows Troops Pointing Guns at Dying Man After Shooting
Body-camera and surveillance footage released by Shelby County prosecutors shows Tennessee National Guard members pointing handguns at Tyrion Johnson as he lay on a sidewalk after being shot, prompting calls for an investigation into the July 5 incident.
Footage released by the Shelby County district attorney’s office shows Tennessee National Guard troops in Memphis pointing their M17 handguns at a man lying on a sidewalk after he was shot in the back on July 5. A Memphis police officer’s body-camera audio captures the officer calling for an ambulance and asking the guards, “Hey, you guys got a medical kit or anything?”
The video, which also includes stationary street-camera and bystander cellphone recordings, does not capture the initial encounter or the moment the guard members fired. An autopsy report supplied by the victim’s family indicates the 20-year-old, Tyrin Johnson, was shot from behind, contradicting earlier statements that he faced the guards with a weapon.
According to a Tennessee National Guard report obtained through a public-records request, two guard members responded to a police radio call about gunshots around 4 a.m., left their vehicle, and approached Johnson, who allegedly pointed a handgun at them before both guards fired their service weapons. Police arrived shortly after, and body-camera footage shows the guards shouting “Hands!” and “Turn over!” while pointing guns at Johnson, who was already on his back.
“This investigation must stay focused on the moment the guardsman fired the fatal shot and whether that action was reasonable,” said André C. Wharton, attorney for Johnson’s family.
District Attorney Steve Mulroy said a decision on charges has not yet been made. A spokesperson for the Tennessee National Guard did not respond to requests for comment, and the guards’ attorney, Ed Yarbrough, declined to comment.
The guard members were part of a federal task force created by President Donald Trump and deployed by Governor Bill Lee. The task force has been linked to four fatal shootings between May and July. Johnson’s grandfather described him as a father of a young child who was preparing to help run the family construction business.