Federal task force kills man in Memphis motel operation

A federal agent shot and killed a man at a Memphis motel Wednesday during a Drug Enforcement Administration operation, marking the second fatal shooting by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force in four days and at least the fourth since May, officials said.

The shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. while DEA agents were serving a drug warrant out of Shelby County, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. The man was in a hotel room and refused to open the door, so agents forced their way in, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Brady McCarron said.

The U.S. Marshals Service, the lead agency for the task force, said federal and local officers were trying to serve a warrant on “a wanted fugitive facing felony drug charges out of Shelby county” at an extended-stay motel on Poplar Avenue, about 11 miles east of downtown Memphis.

“After issuing numerous verbal commands for the individual to surrender, officers made a forced entry into the building,” a Marshals Service spokesperson said. “Additional commands were given for the individual to exit. During the encounter, the individual pointed a handgun at members of the Memphis Safe Task Force. Taskforce members responded to the immediate threat by discharging their firearms.”

A later statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is examining the shooting, gave fewer details. “For reasons still under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in a DEA agent firing into a room, striking a man and killing him,” the bureau said.

Authorities have not identified the man. No law enforcement officers were injured, the bureau said. The DEA team included at least one Memphis Police Department officer, McCarron said.

President Trump created the Memphis Safe Task Force by executive order last year as part of a broader effort to deploy National Guard troops and federal agents in Democratic-run cities he described as crime-ridden. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee activated the Tennessee National Guard, and Guard members have been patrolling Memphis streets for 10 months, The Guardian reported. Plans to send troops to some other cities were blocked by courts, CBS News reported.

The latest shooting came days after two Tennessee National Guard members fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson during a downtown pursuit. CBS News, citing the Associated Press, reported the shooting occurred in the early hours of Sunday; The Guardian reported it happened early Monday after Memphis police pursued Johnson following reports of shots fired near Ida B. Wells and Gayoso avenues.

Officials said Johnson turned toward Guard members with a gun. His family said they were told by the TBI that he was shot twice in the chest. His grandfather, Evaniel Johnson, said Johnson had taken classes at Tennessee State University, was the father of a young child and was preparing to help lead the family business. He called on authorities to release any video evidence.

“Show me the video,” he told The Associated Press. “Please show me that — and then I’m OK. Until you show me that, I’m gonna fight and advocate for my grandson until there’s no breath in me.”

Two other fatal shootings involving task force members occurred in May. On May 13, a DEA agent shot and killed 41-year-old Darrin Pigram while officers were serving an arrest warrant at a Burger King in the Frayser neighborhood. Officials said Pigram had reached for a gun in his waistband.

On May 21, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent fatally shot 25-year-old Jonah Neal after officers responded to a report of an armed man threatening to harm himself at a home. The Tennessee bureau said Neal was armed and that it was unclear whether he died from the gunshot or from self-inflicted stab wounds.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is handling the probes and will submit its findings to the local district attorney general.