Lead

Federal agents shot and killed a man at a Memphis motel on Wednesday morning during a Drug Enforcement Administration operation conducted with the Memphis Safe Task Force, according to authorities. The incident marks the fourth officer-involved death since the anticrime initiative was established by President Donald Trump in September.

Coverage Comparison

The Guardian reports that the shooting occurred at an extended-stay motel on Poplar Avenue, about 11 miles east of downtown Memphis, while agents were attempting to serve a warrant on a fugitive facing felony drug charges. A spokesperson for the US Marshals Service, the lead agency for the task force, said that after multiple verbal commands, officers made a forced entry and that the individual pointed a handgun at task force members, who responded by discharging their firearms. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, and the deceased has not yet been identified.

In a separate incident, The Guardian reports that Tennessee national guard soldiers shot and killed 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson early Sunday morning during a patrol. The soldiers were responding to a report of gunfire when, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Johnson turned and pulled a gun on the troops. The bureau said Johnson died at the scene despite attempts at first aid by two national guard medical specialists. The soldiers involved have not been identified.

The deaths have prompted the NAACP to call for the suspension of the Memphis Safe Task Force. In a letter to acting attorney general Todd Blanche, the NAACP demanded a thorough, transparent federal investigation, arguing that the task force has surged federal and military officers into Memphis with insufficient training for civilian policing.

Key Claims

  • Federal agents killed a man at a Memphis motel during a Drug Enforcement Administration operation with the Memphis Safe Task Force, according to the US Marshals Service.
  • The task force was established by Donald Trump by executive order last year, as part of a push to reduce crime in cities the president claimed were overrun with crime.
  • There have been four officer-involved deaths since the task force began in September, all occurring in the last two months, as reported by The Guardian.
  • National guard soldiers shot and killed Tyrin Johnson, 20, during a chase in Memphis on Sunday, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
  • The Tennessee national guard was deployed to Memphis by Governor Bill Lee in October, a move that has faced legal challenges but was upheld by the Tennessee court of appeals in April.
  • The NAACP is demanding the suspension of the task force and a thorough investigation, citing at least four deaths linked to the task force this year.

Perspectives

NAACP

The NAACP, in a letter to acting attorney general Todd Blanche, has demanded the suspension of the Memphis Safe Task Force and a thorough federal investigation into its actions. The organization argues that the task force has deployed federal and military officers with insufficient training for civilian policing, and it noted "conflicting reports" in the aftermath of the deaths.

Government and Law Enforcement

The US Marshals Service described the motel shooting as a response to an immediate threat, stating that the individual pointed a handgun at task force members. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating both the motel shooting and the Johnson killing. Memphis Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat who opposed the national guard deployment, said the shooting was an "unfortunate incident" and awaits the conclusion of the investigation.