Fourth fatal shooting by Memphis federal task force in under a year
A DEA agent shot and killed a man at a Memphis hotel on Wednesday, the second fatal shooting by the Memphis Safe Task Force in four days. It is the fourth death linked to the unit since it launched in September.
DEA agent kills man at Memphis hotel, fourth death tied to federal task force
A Drug Enforcement Administration agent assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force fatally shot a man at a Memphis hotel on Wednesday, apnews.com reports — the second person killed by a task force member in four days, and the fourth death involving the unit since it was established in September.
The shooting took place while DEA agents were executing a drug warrant at a hotel room, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Brady McCarron said. When the suspect refused to open the door, agents forced it down, McCarron said.
An initial news release from the Marshals Service stated the man was killed after pointing a handgun at task force members. A subsequent release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), which is probing the circumstances, was less specific, stating only that "for reasons still under investigation, the situation escalated, resulting in a DEA agent firing into a room, striking a man and killing him."
The Memphis Safe Task Force was created by President Donald Trump as part of a broader effort to deploy National Guard troops and federal agents in Democratic-run cities he described as crime-ridden. While courts blocked similar deployments to some other cities, Tennessee National Guard troops have been serving in Memphis as part of the task force since last autumn.
Tennessee's Republican Governor Bill Lee has welcomed the federal intervention. Democratic Memphis Mayor Paul Young took a more pragmatic stance, acknowledging the deployment would proceed regardless of his position and saying he preferred to find ways to use the task force effectively.
Wednesday's shooting came four days after two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to the task force killed 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson during a foot pursuit in downtown Memphis early Sunday. Authorities said Johnson turned toward officers with a gun. His family has called for the release of video evidence showing what occurred.
TBI data indicates at least four people have died in encounters with officers connected to the federal task force, including at least one other fatal shooting by a DEA agent.
In mid-May, during the execution of an arrest warrant, a DEA agent shot and killed 41-year-old Darrin Pigram, who had allegedly reached for a firearm in his waistband, according to a TBI preliminary statement.
Later the same month, a Homeland Security special agent discharged her weapon after task force members responded to a report of an armed man threatening to harm himself. Jonah Neal, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene, though TBI said at the time it was not "immediately clear whether Neal died as a result of the agent firing upon him or if it was self-inflicted stab wounds."
A fifth incident occurred in December, when a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper assigned to the task force opened fire at a vehicle that failed to stop during a traffic check. One occupant was struck and transported to hospital in stable condition, according to TBI information released at the time.
All five shootings are under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Source: Google News MT