By Joseph Ax
July 6 (Reuters) – Two Tennessee National Guard soldiers assigned to a Donald Trump-backed anti-crime task force fatally shot an armed man being pursued by Memphis police, focusing attention on a high-profile federal crime-fighting initiative the president has touted as a success.
The soldiers in Sunday’s incident were part of the Memphis Safe Task Force, a partnership of federal agents, National Guard troops and local police launched last year to help fight violent crime in Memphis, one of several Democratic-led U.S. cities where the Trump administration has deployed federal forces.
Trump and senior officials visited Memphis in March to praise the operation, which the Republican president has credited with driving down violent crime in the city.
Police responded to a report of shots fired in downtown Memphis and saw a man carrying a handgun, the city police department said.
They chased him on foot, and two Guard soldiers who were nearby joined in the pursuit, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which identified the suspect as 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson.
“For reasons under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in two National Guard soldiers firing upon Johnson, striking and killing him,” the TBI said in a statement.
The Memphis Police Department said the suspect turned toward the Guard members with a handgun before they fired at him.
The Tennessee National Guard did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The TBI is investigating the shooting at the request of the Shelby County district attorney.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; editing by Donna Bryson and Howard Goller)
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