MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Footage is now public from the deadly July 5 downtown Memphis shooting where National Guard members opened fire on Tyrin Johnson. Shelby County prosecutors put out the videos on Monday, nearly four months after Johnson died at the scene.
Four videos were released in all. The TBI, the state agency investigating the shooting, is nearing the end of its work, but the case is still open. Prosecutors stressed that sharing the footage does not settle whether anyone will be charged. No charging decision has been made, and no charges have been filed.
District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he had promised to release video once it would no longer get in the way of an investigation. He said this release will not harm the TBI as it finishes its review, and that his office is keeping its word on transparency while that work goes on.
The shooting happened about 4 a.m. on Union Avenue close to AutoZone Park, during the early hours after the holiday weekend crowds downtown. Investigative reports say two Memphis Police Department officers in the downtown entertainment zone heard gunfire and saw a man with a handgun moving in a zig-zag and ducking near where the shots came from.
MPD has said the officers were answering a shots-fired call. When they called out to the man, later identified as Johnson, he ran. Guard members joined the foot chase. According to the reports, two of the Guard members fired once Johnson turned onto Union Avenue. MPD has said Johnson turned toward them holding a handgun.
The medical examiner found that Johnson was killed by a single gunshot wound that went in through his back and came out through his chest. The autopsy showing he was shot in the back has been a central point of public attention since the summer.
Section: More Memphis TN crime news
Filed under: Memphis TN Crime News
