Tennessee National Guard members fatally shoot man in Memphis

newsJul 6, 202620457

Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson early Sunday after they and local police began pursuing an armed man near downtown Memphis and the man turned toward the soldiers with a gun, police said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified Johnson and said it is investigating; no law enforcement officers were injured. Two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid but Johnson died at the scene, and his cousin Terracle Nelson said family members were told he was shot twice in the chest. The Guard members are part of a federal task force convened by President Donald Trump and deployed to Memphis with support from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee; Mayor Paul Young called the shooting an "unfortunate incident." The U.S. Marshals Service reported the task force has resulted in more than 10,000 arrests as of June, and TBI records show at least four officer-involved shootings tied to the task force, including an October shooting and two in May that did not involve National Guard members discharging their weapons. Johnson's grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said his grandson had taken classes at Tennessee State University, was a father and was preparing to join the family construction business, and he wants to review investigators' findings and any video before making a judgment.

Jason Dogwood 💙 🏳️‍🌈 🌱

@jasondogwood.bsky.social

Whether the shooting was justified isn't the only thing haunting me. The other issue is why we've reached a place where soldiers are patrolling American streets at all. Freedom doesn't disappear all at once. It asks us to get used to one unacceptable thing after another. .

2103h ago

🐸SayItToMyFace❌👑7

You are 💯 right. Why were they even there?

Young Americans go left..to Democratic Socialism3

I will not stop posting this:Fake police,ICE INCELS,Cowards,Eunuchs,Fascist Terrorists.They are thugs:tactics of Gestapo,Stasi,KGB,Stalinś NKVD, Putinś FSB. inhuman barbarians. Inside the FascistHouse (WhiteHouse)calling the shots. find out who they are. THEY ARE GODLESS Murderers

WholeNotes 🇺🇸3

The slow erosion started with the patriot act in 2001

Jane1

I have 0 respect for our National Guard. They've allowed themselves to become his gestapo. The stink will follow them to the grave

alicerk.bsky.social1

Yes, I agree. It's a dark and shameful place we've come to.

Fiat justitia, Ruat caelum1

We need a list of states that are deploying the National Guard to our cities. Then we need to contact their governors and demand they be removed. Protest outside their offices. Call them. Write them.

Quoting this

Neil Turkewitz2

“Freedom doesn't disappear all at once. It asks us to get used to one unacceptable thing after another.”

Free DC

@freedcproject.bsky.social

A National Guard soldier shot and killed a man in Memphis yesterday. This is not just an "unfortunate incident." The National Guard are a threat to our safety and the governors who have deployed need to call them home NOW. apnews.com/article/memp...

423h ago

Lee West

@whodat35.bsky.social

WE SHOULD NOT HAVE NATIONAL GUARD POLICING OUR STREETS IN MEMPHIS OR DC. FULL STOP. I will post this memo every single day up until midterms. We have extremists in our government turning the military on civilians ON OUR OWN soil. 1933 Germany redux. www.commondreams.org/news/leaked-...

4218h ago

Victoria aka Blaze

@burrddoh.bsky.social

20 year old, Tyrin Johnson, was shot and killed by National Guard troops in Memphis TN todsy www.npr.org/2026/07/05/n...

2418h ago

Jas 🪶🐻🦉🇺🇸🇨🇦5

Sure, "What happened next is unclear". When a suspect is "running away", so his back is to the cops and military, when does the, 'oh lets just fucking shoot him', come in to play?

Jas 🪶🐻🦉🇺🇸🇨🇦2

Well, besides just WTF! But also, WTF was the national guard out for i wonder?

T. Boone Doggle1

Why the fuck does NG have live ammo??

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘

@kojamf.bsky.social

National Guard members on patrol in Memphis fatally shoot man during pursuit, police say

216h ago

MadBlue 💙🐸1

What was that…MAGA fights for no-gun laws?? For the benefit of whom?

conifergirl.bsky.social

@conifergirl.bsky.social

The Death of Tyrin Johnson at the Hands of the National Guard… By Brent Molnar: A Voice of Reason A twenty-year-old man is dead in downtown Memphis, shot by the soldiers his own government sent to keep the city safe. Tyrin Johnson was killed just before 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 5,

145h ago

Pam Spaulding

@pamspaulding.bsky.social

❗The Trump / Miller regime is why NG are in TN. Nothing about this is normal & we can't let these situations be normalized. National Guard troops fatally shoot a man in downtown Memphis 🧾 NPR: www.npr.org/2026/07/05/n... 🌐 TN Bureau of Investigation to lead probe: tbinewsroom.com/2026/07/05/t...

Police say officers were responding to calls of shots fired in downtown Memphis just before 4 am local time when they saw "an armed male carrying a handgun." The man — identified by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson — fled on foot, pursued by Memphis police officers along with Tennessee National Guard soldiers who are assigned to the area.

What happened next was not immediately clear.

1317h ago

PeaceSeeker2

National Guard is not authorized or trained in domestic law enforcement. There are no boundaries with this administration. The scariest part is some things can't be undone, like allowing national guard to kill civilians on our streets.

The Nicolandorian1

«Memphis police said» The lies begin here.

Ringo Bunnyman1

Black victim. Tennessee. Enough said. 😐

Julie Taylor

@snarkymimi.bsky.social

The United States National Guard killed a US Citizen today in Memphis Tennessee. US Military KILLED a United States Citizen on US Soil 7/5/26 US MILITARY deployed by the Trump Administration KILLED a CITIZEN AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE

88h ago

Lowering The Gaiter1

LEO said the NG were responding with LEO (!) to report of gunshots ~ 4 a.m.. They pursued an armed man fleeing. The NG opened fire after the man turned toward them with his weapon. www.npr.org/2026/07/05/n... www.pbs.org/newshour/nat... www.localmemphis.com/article/news... apnews.com/article/memp...

MaggieShayne.com1

I haven't seen this story yet. Do you have a link?

Quoting this

☆Jennїe S Jonzen☆ Is He Dead Yet?! 🖖LLAP🤟🍀✴️✳️🌟☘️🗽🇺🇸🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🌈🗿🌻💙💛⭐️4

So, the National Guard is just out shooting US citizens now… I hope everyone who didn't vote for Kamala Harris or did vote for the Trumpstain are happy with themselves, because that murder is on their hands too, along with every ICE murder. apnews.com/article/memp...

Shameful and Evil Leopard on Parade

@leopardonparade.bsky.social

Why is the National Guard in Memphis? Why are they shooting people? I’ve also reached the point where I think the cops/government is lying all the time about such incidents.

1822h ago

nullifie

@nullifie.bsky.social

National Guard troops assigned to Memphis by Trump fired their weapons early Sunday morning, killing a civilian. The 20-year-old man was armed and was attempting to flee from cops. Two Tennessee guardsmen pursued him and put him down. Police claim the fleeing man turned towards the guardsmen.

510h ago

BlackskyNews 🗞️

@blackskynews.blacksky.app

Two TN National Guard members in Memphis fatally shot TSU student, Tyrin Johnson Sunday, alleging the 20 year-old turned toward them with a gun during a downtown pursuit. By: Joel Rose #BlackskyNews www.npr.org/2026/07/05/n...

75h ago

Katherine the Sixth

@luigithirty.bsky.social

well who can blame the national guard for seeing a black guy in Memphis and opening fire

617h ago

smithjohnny.bsky.social

@smithjohnny.bsky.social

Memphis has been under siege by the National Guard since November of last year. No American city should have to endure such harassment from its government.

1019h ago

ResisterRod

@resisterrod.bsky.social

It wasn’t a question. The governor and his pet state legislators have done everything in their power to take over Memphis. This is bullshit politics driven by Trump and this is the result. The fucking national guard are not law enforcement.

913h ago

Leogirl4u

@leogirl4u.bsky.social

Why was the NG in Memphis? Are they assisting the police now or is it ICE or both? These people are part time weekend warriors, not friggin police. I'm so sick of these military wanna be a-holes running around shooting people.

722h ago

1 source

apnews.comNational Guard members on patrol in Memphis fatally shoot man during pursuit, police say

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Tennessee National Guard members fatally shoot man in Memphis

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