Fed Task Force Has Killed 2 Men in 4 Days in Memphis

A federal crime-fighting surge in Memphis is drawing fresh scrutiny after a second man in four days was shot and killed by a member of the city's federal task force. Tennessee officials say a Drug Enforcement Administration agent fatally shot a man Wednesday while a team was trying to serve an arrest warrant at a Memphis hotel, reports the New York Times. According to a US Marshals Service spokesman, agents broke into the room after orders to open the door were ignored, and the man inside allegedly pointed a handgun at them. Neither he nor the agent has been publicly identified; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating.

The incident follows Sunday's fatal shooting of 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson by two National Guard members working with the same task force, which was launched under a Trump-era executive order and has remained in Memphis even as federal agents have pulled back from other cities. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said that police were chasing an armed suspect when National Guardsmen joined the chase, reports NBC News. "For reasons under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in two National Guard soldiers firing upon Johnson, striking and killing him," TBI said.

The joint operation has produced more than 2,000 arrests and hundreds of seized guns, and is backed by state Republican leaders and Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, though he has questioned the Guard's role. Supporters cite reduced crime; critics in the majority-Black city describe heavy-handed tactics, chilled oversight efforts, and rising distrust—concerns echoed by Democratic state senators calling for transparency and independent review.