A member of a federal crime-fighting task force fatally shot an individual in Memphis on Wednesday, marking the second such fatality involving a task force member in four days. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents were executing a drug warrant in Shelby County.
According to U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Brady McCarron, agents attempted to serve the warrant at a hotel room. After the suspect refused to open the door, agents forced entry. A preliminary news release from the Marshals Service stated the man was killed after pointing a handgun at task force members. However, a subsequent release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the probe into the shooting, offered a less specific account, stating only that the situation escalated for reasons still under investigation, resulting in a DEA agent firing into the room and killing the man.
No law enforcement officers sustained injuries in the incident. The DEA team included at least one officer from the Memphis Police Department, McCarron confirmed.
The Memphis Safe Task Force, which includes National Guard troops and federal agents, was established last year as part of an initiative to address crime in cities. This is the second fatal shooting involving members of this task force this week. On Sunday morning, two Guardsmen fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson during a downtown pursuit, stating that Johnson had turned toward them with a gun.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating both shootings and will forward the findings to the local district attorney general.