Tennessee national guard trained guns on dying man after guard member shot him, video shows

Key points

• Video released Monday shows Tennessee national guard members pointing handguns at Tyrin Johnson as he lay dying in Memphis.
• An autopsy found Johnson was shot in the back, contradicting accounts that he faced guard members with a gun.
• District attorney Steve Mulroy has not decided whether to file charges in the 5 July shooting.

Video released Monday by Shelby county prosecutors shows Tennessee national guard troops in Memphis training their handguns on Tyrin Johnson, 20, as he lay dying on a sidewalk after a guard member shot him in the back. The footage, which includes body camera video, stationary camera video and bystander cellphone video, was released as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues its inquiry into the 5 July shooting.

Johnson, who had been armed, died at the scene from a single gunshot wound. An autopsy report shared by his family found he was shot in the back, contradicting police and national guard accounts that said he was facing the guard members with a gun when they fired. The footage did not show the initial encounter or the shooting itself.

What the video shows

In the body camera footage, a Memphis police officer calls for an ambulance and then asks the troops, "Hey, you guys got a medical kit or anything?" Guard members are heard shouting "Hands!" and "Turn over!" while pointing handguns at the man on his back. At least six guard members were at the scene immediately after the shooting, and one is seen moving a handgun on the ground until an officer tells him to leave it alone.

Authorities said the troops were responding with local police to reports of gunshots at about 4am when they began pursuing an armed man fleeing on foot. A national guard report obtained by the Associated Press said the suspect "rounded on them and pointed a tan handgun at them", and that two guard members fired their M17 handguns.

This investigation must stay focused on the moment the guardsman fired the fatal shot and whether that action was reasonable.

— André C Wharton

Investigation and response

District attorney Steve Mulroy said he has not yet decided whether to file charges. A Tennessee national guard spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Ed Yarbrough, an attorney for the two guard members, said they have no comment at this time.

André C Wharton, an attorney for Johnson's family, said the videos do not show the moments 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. The guard members were part of a federal taskforce created by Donald Trump, which was involved in four fatal shootings between May and July.