RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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An autopsy has raised new questions about the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man by Tennessee National Guard members assigned to President Donald Trump’s federal anti-crime operation in Memphis, finding that he was shot once in the back despite authorities saying he had turned toward troops with a gun.
Tyrin Johnson was killed in the early hours after the Fourth of July holiday after authorities said officers responding to reports of gunfire spotted an armed man leaving the area near Beale Street.
Police and National Guard accounts have said Johnson ran from authorities before turning toward Guard members while armed. A Tennessee National Guard report obtained by The Associated Press said Johnson “rounded on” two troops and pointed a handgun at them, prompting both to fire their service weapons.
But an autopsy report shared with the AP by Johnson’s family found that a single bullet entered the right side of his back and exited through his upper right chest.
Dr. Steven White, a forensic pathologist who was not involved in the autopsy but reviewed the findings for the AP, said the bullet’s slightly upward trajectory would be consistent with Johnson running away from the shooter.
The report also found no evidence indicating the weapon was fired at extremely close range, White said.
Johnson’s grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said the findings deepen the family’s concerns about the shooting.
“Be transparent — you shot him in the back,” he said. “I just want to make sure somebody be responsible for what happened. Some accountability. They ain’t never going to bring my grandson back.”
An investigative narrative included in the autopsy report, based on information from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent, gives a different account. It says Johnson reached toward his waistband, drew a firearm and was shot after officers saw the weapon.
Andre Wharton, an attorney representing Johnson’s family, said that description appears difficult to reconcile with the physical findings.
“I just see some kind of blatant inconsistency there, in terms of what law enforcement reports,” Wharton told the AP. “The versions don't seem to match.”
The medical examiner classified Johnson’s death as a homicide, a term generally indicating that a death resulted from another person’s actions. The classification does not by itself establish criminal wrongdoing or intent, and no charges have been filed.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said its investigation remains “open and ongoing.”
Johnson was carrying a handgun magazine containing ammunition, according to the autopsy report. His family has asked authorities to provide surveillance footage or other evidence supporting the assertion that he pointed a weapon at Guard members.
His grandfather said the family has not been shown video capturing the moments immediately before the shooting.
The troops involved were assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force, part of Trump’s deployment of National Guard members and federal agents to cities his administration has targeted in its anti-crime campaign. The Memphis task force was involved in four fatal shootings between May and July.
Trump’s decision to deploy the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis drew a mixed response from residents and became the subject of a lawsuit, though it did not trigger widespread protests.
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