Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said. The Guard members were part of a troop deployment the Trump administration launched in Tennessee’s second-largest city last fall. The soldiers were responding with local police to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot, the Memphis Police Department said.The guardsmen opened fire after the man turned towards them with his weapon, the department said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson and said it is investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured, the agency added.Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid, Guard spokesperson Lt. Col Darrin Haas said in a statement.
Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an “unfortunate incident” and said he was waiting to see the results of the TBI investigation before commenting further, according to a statement provided by spokesperson Penelope Huston.
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