Memphis National Guard Shooting: Bodycam Shows Fatal Aftermath

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Video released Monday by county prosecutors shows Tennessee National Guard troops in Memphis last summer pointing their handguns at a man as he lay dying on a sidewalk after one of the guardsmen shot him in the back.

In body camera footage, a Memphis police officer can be heard requesting an ambulance before asking the troops, “Hey, you guys got a medical kit or anything?”

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office released the videos as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues examining the July 5 shooting of Tyrin Johnson. The footage includes recordings from an officer’s body camera, stationary surveillance cameras and a bystander’s cellphone.

Johnson, 20, was armed and died at the scene from a single gunshot wound, investigators said. An autopsy report provided by his family determined that he had been shot in the back, conflicting with police and National Guard accounts that said he was facing the guardsmen with a gun when they opened fire.

The released footage does not capture Johnson’s initial encounter with the guardsmen or the moment they fired their weapons.

The guardsmen were assigned to a federal task force created by President Donald Trump, who last year sent troops and federal agents to Democrat-run cities he characterized as overwhelmed by crime. Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee deployed the National Guard to support the operation. The task force was connected to four fatal shootings between May and July.

District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he has not made a decision on whether to bring charges in Johnson’s death.

A Tennessee National Guard spokesperson did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment. Ed Yarbrough, an attorney representing the two guardsmen, said they had no comment at this time.

Authorities said the troops were assisting Memphis police after reports of gunfire came in around 4 a.m. Officers and guardsmen then pursued an armed man who was fleeing on foot.

Stationary street-camera footage shows a person dressed in dark clothing firing across an empty parking lot toward three people walking on a sidewalk. A body camera worn by one of two Memphis officers shows them hearing the gunfire, moving first at a walk and then breaking into a run. Over the radio, the officers say they are pursuing an armed man.

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The body camera video is blurred by the officer’s movement. It records shouting, the sound of one gunshot and then several more shots.

A Tennessee National Guard report obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request said two guardsmen responded to the Memphis police radio call. After leaving their vehicle, they approached the suspect, who “rounded on them and pointed a tan handgun at them,” according to the report. Both guardsmen fired their M17 service handguns, and Memphis police arrived moments later.

Police body camera footage shows the guardsmen pointing their handguns at a man lying on his back on the sidewalk while shouting, “Hands!” and “Turn over!”

André C. Wharton, an attorney for Johnson’s family, emphasized that the videos do not show what happened immediately before the shooting or the shooting itself.

“This investigation must stay focused on the moment the guardsman fired the fatal shot and whether that action was reasonable,” Wharton said.

Johnson was the father of a young child and was preparing to help lead his family’s construction business, his grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said.

Body camera video shows at least six guardsmen at the scene after the shooting. One of them appears to move a handgun lying on the ground before a police officer tells him to leave it where it is. Another officer requests an ambulance over the radio, while a guardsman begins cutting away Johnson’s shirt shortly before the video ends.

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Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City.