Autopsy shows National Guard fatally shot Memphis man in the back
The report conflicts with the authorities’ initial account, which said Tyrin Johnson had been shot in the chest.
An autopsy report has revealed that 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson, a Memphis resident, was fatally shot in the back by a Tennessee National Guard member, contradicting initial official statements.
Previously, authorities had stated that Johnson was shot in the chest by two guard members on July 5 in Memphis, after he allegedly turned and faced them with a gun. However, a copy of the autopsy reviewed by the BBC indicates that a single bullet entered his back on the right side and exited through his upper right chest, piercing his lung.
Johnson's family is now demanding accountability following the release of the autopsy report. The National Guard has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.
"Be transparent — you shot him in the back," Evaniel Johnson, the victim's grandfather, told the Associated Press. "I just want to make sure somebody be responsible for what happened. Some accountability. They ain't never going to bring my grandson back." Johnson, a former Nashville correctional officer, added, "If he ain't caused you no threat, you know what I'm saying, you have no reason to be killing."
The West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center Office of the Medical Examiner conducted the autopsy. Their report included an "investigative narrative" from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent, who stated that Memphis police and National Guard troops were initially called to the scene due to reports of nearby gunfire. The narrative claims they encountered Johnson, who then "grabbed at his waistband."
According to the officer's account within the report, "Law enforcement officers saw the unknown male draw a firearm," and subsequently, "Law enforcement officers then shot at the unknown male, striking him once in the chest." Separately, the report also noted that Johnson was carrying a "handgun magazine with rounds." In Tennessee, gun laws permit legal gun owners to openly carry weapons.
Andre Wharton, the Johnson family's lawyer who shared the autopsy report with the BBC, issued a statement saying, "The autopsy findings reinforce the serious concerns we have regarding Tyrin's shooting and the circumstances surrounding his encounter with the Memphis Safe Task Force." He added, "The fact that Tyrin was actually shot in the back, contrasted with officer and task force's accounts, only further underscores the devastating nature of this encounter."
Johnson's cause of death was officially listed as "homicide," a term used when a death is caused by another person, which does not always imply intent. No criminal charges have been filed to date.
When questioned by the BBC about the conflicting findings, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation referred to its original July statement, reiterating that the investigation remains "active and ongoing." The agency clarified, "Reports that Tyrin Johnson turned and pointed a gun at National Guardsmen were not distributed by the TBI."
Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson released a statement on X on Friday, asserting that "Johnson should be alive today" and calling for an investigation. He continued, "The National Guard is not welcome here. Mr Johnson's is a horrifying example of the brutality and injustice the Memphis Unsafe Task Force has brought to our city."
The National Guard troops were deployed to Memphis as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, an initiative established by then-President Donald Trump as part of a broader effort to deploy National Guard troops to various U.S. cities. Trump had stated that these deployments, primarily in Democrat-led cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., were intended to combat crime.