A 20-year-old man fatally shot by Tennessee National Guard members during a Fourth of July weekend pursuit in Memphis was shot in the back, according to an autopsy, raising new questions about the official account that he turned toward the soldiers and pointed a gun before they opened fire. Tyrin Johnson was killed in the early morning hours of July 5 after Memphis police and Tennessee National Guard members assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force (which brings together local, state, and federal resources) responded to reports of gunfire downtown, authorities said. Police initially said Johnson was fleeing on foot when he turned toward the Guard members with a firearm.
The soldiers then fired, according to the initial account. However, an autopsy shared with Johnson's family found that a single bullet entered the right side of his back and exited through the upper right side of his chest. The report described the trajectory as moving from back to front, slightly upward and toward the right.
It also found no soot, stippling or muzzle imprint, indicating the shot was not fired at close range. Andre Wharton, an attorney representing Johnson's family, said the autopsy has increased the family's concerns about the shooting. There is nothing else that we can share at this time." The Tennessee National Guard, the Memphis Police Department and the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office were also contacted for comment by email.
Johnson's family has repeatedly called for authorities to release surveillance footage and other evidence from the shooting, saying video in the possession of investigators could help clarify what happened in the moments before he was killed. The report classified the manner of death as “homicide.” In an autopsy, that designation generally means the death was caused by another person; it does not by itself establish criminal intent or mean that a crime was committed. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is reviewing the shooting, has said its investigation remains open and ongoing.
The autopsy also said that Johnson was carrying a handgun magazine containing rounds. Wharton has said that possessing the magazine and ammunition was not itself illegal under Tennessee law. The key unanswered question is what Johnson was doing immediately before he was shot.
If the official account is correct and Johnson turned toward the Guard members while holding or pointing a firearm, the autopsy alone would not establish that the shooting was unlawful. But if Johnson was running away and never turned toward the soldiers, the physical evidence could materially undermine the account used to explain why deadly force was necessary. Johnson had attended Tennessee State University from August 2023 through May 2024, according to a university spokesperson.
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