Tennessee national guard troops shoot man dead in Memphis | Memphis

National Guard soldiers on patrol in Memphis, Tennessee, shot and killed a man who authorities in the Tennessee city say turned and pulled a gun on soldiers during a chase.

The clash took place around 04:00 on Sunday after soldiers responded to a report of gunfire.

The Tennessee national guard was controversially deployed by the state’s governor, Bill Lee, in October to support fellow Republican Donald Trump’s federal push to combat perceived crime increases in Democratic-run cities.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the person shot was 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson. The bureau said no one was injured during the attack and that it was investigating the circumstances.

“For reasons under investigation, the situation escalated and resulted in two National Guard soldiers opening fire on Johnson, striking and killing him,” the TBI said. a statement.

He did not identify the soldiers involved and referred inquiries “to the appropriate department to respond as it deems appropriate.”

Lt. Col. Darrin Haas, a spokesman for the Tennessee National Guard, also declined to identify the personnel involved.

Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical professionals attempted first aid, he told The Associated Press.

The mayor of Memphis, Democrat Paul Young, said the attack was an “unfortunate incident.” But she said she would wait for the TBI investigation to conclude before commenting further, spokeswoman Penelope Huston told the AP.

Young opposed Lee’s deployment of the national guard. temporarily suspended A lawsuit was filed in November claiming the move violated the state constitution. But the Tennessee appeals court ultimately ruled approved Distribution in April.

Young and his allies pointed out that high crime rates were already falling in Memphis when Lee sent the state’s military forces to support the president’s directive, and they said the move was another step by Republican leaders in Tennessee to strip away the autonomy of cities under Democratic control.

Sunday’s case was at least the fourth officer-involved shooting associated with the Memphis safe task force, which consists of federal and local agencies, the AP reported, citing TBI data.

Two of the shootings occurred in May and did not involve members of the national guard firing weapons. The TBI also linked the task force to the October shooting but did not specify which law enforcement agencies were involved.

Terracle Nelson, Johnson’s cousin, said authorities told family members that Johnson was shot twice in the chest.

Evaniel Johnson, the dead man’s grandfather, said his grandson was taking classes at Tennessee State University, was a father of a young child and was preparing to lead the family’s construction business.

He said he wants to review findings from investigators and any video of the shooting before making a decision.

“I believed in him and I know he still has a lot of life ahead of him,” Johnson said.

“The heartbreaking truth is that he will never have the chance to enjoy what we built together. This is a pain no grandparent should ever have to endure.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report