Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a federal anti-crime task force in Memphis fatally shot an armed 20-year-old man in the back, according to an autopsy report obtained by the AP, contradicting police accounts that said the man was facing troops when they fired. Authorities have said that Tyrin Johnson turned toward guard members with a gun while running from them in the early morning hours after the Fourth of July in Memphis when he was fatally shot in the chest. But according to an autopsy report shared by Johnson's family, a single bullet went in the right side of his back and exited through his upper right chest. The autopsy findings, reported earlier by the Commercial Appeal, were prepared by the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center Office of the Medical Examiner.
The bullet had a slight upward trajectory through Johnson's body, the autopsy report said. That would be consistent with him running away from the shooter, said Dr. Steven White, a certified forensic pathologist who reviewed the report. The report said there was no soot, gunpowder stippling, or muzzle imprint around the wound, which White said indicated Johnson was likely shot from more than 3 feet away. "Be transparent—you shot him in the back," said Evaniel Johnson of his grandson's death. "I just want to make sure somebody be responsible for what happened. Some accountability. They ain't never going to bring my grandson back."
In the autopsy report, an "investigative narrative" based on an account from an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, also states that Johnson was turning toward law enforcement with a gun. "The unknown male grabbed at his waistband," the report stated. "Law enforcement officers saw the unknown male draw a firearm. Law enforcement officers then shot at the unknown male, striking him once in the chest." Andre Wharton, an attorney representing Johnson's family, told the AP that the narrative presented by law enforcement does not match the autopsy findings of a single bullet wound in the back. "I just see some kind of blatant inconsistency there, in terms of what law enforcement reports," Wharton said.
The manner of death is listed as "homicide," which typically is used when a death is caused by the actions of another person, but often doesn't factor in intent or carry any legal weight. To date, no criminal charges have been filed. Johnson's family has asked authorities to show them surveillance video or other evidence that he was pointing a weapon at the guard members.
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