Video reveals Guard troops aimed weapons at dying man in Memphis

Key points

• Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy released video evidence on Monday, including body camera, stationary camera, and bystander footage from the July 5 shooting of Tyrin Johnson in Memphis.
• The footage shows guard members shouting commands like 'Hands!' and 'Turn over!' while pointing their M17 service weapons at Johnson, who was lying on his back on the sidewalk.
• An autopsy report obtained by Johnson’s family states he was shot in the back, directly contradicting police and National Guard accounts that claimed he was facing the troops with a gun when they fired.
• The guard members were part of a federal task force deployed by Governor Bill Lee to support federal efforts in Democratic-run cities; this task force was involved in four fatal shootings between May and July.
• The released videos do not capture the initial encounter or the moment the fatal shot was fired, leaving a gap in the visual record of the confrontation.
• District Attorney Mulroy has not yet determined whether to file criminal charges, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is continuing its review of the incident.

Background

This incident follows a pattern of controversial use-of-force cases involving law enforcement and National Guard members in 2026. Recent archive entries highlight a National Guard member wounded in a Capitol Hill shootout in Washington, D.C., and a Mississippi officer who resigned after fatally shooting a toddler, despite state clearance. These cases, along with the Memphis shooting, underscore ongoing tensions regarding federal deployment of guard troops in local jurisdictions and the scrutiny surrounding fatal encounters with armed suspects.

Why it matters

The release of this video highlights a critical discrepancy between official accounts and forensic evidence regarding the direction of the fatal shot. It raises serious questions about the justification of lethal force by federal task force members in local cities and the transparency of investigations into guard-related shootings. The lack of immediate charges and the absence of footage showing the initial confrontation may fuel public distrust and calls for independent oversight of federal security operations in Democratic-run areas.

What to watch

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will continue its review of the July 5 shooting. District Attorney Steve Mulroy is expected to make a decision on whether to file charges against the two guard members involved. The family’s attorney, André C Wharton, is likely to push for a focus on the reasonableness of the fatal shot, given the autopsy findings contradicting the official narrative.