A member of a federal crime-fighting task force fatally shot an individual in Memphis on Wednesday, marking the second such fatal shooting by a task force member in four days. The Wednesday incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents were executing a drug warrant out of Shelby County.
According to a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman, the suspect was in a hotel room and refused to open the door for agents, who then forced entry. An initial 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 (TBI), which is now investigating the circumstances, offered a less specific account, noting only that "the situation escalated, resulting in a DEA agent firing into a room, striking a man and killing him."
No law enforcement officers sustained injuries in the incident. The DEA team included at least one officer from the Memphis Police Department. The Memphis Safe Task Force was established last year as part of an initiative by President Donald Trump to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops to cities he characterized as crime-ridden. While legal challenges prevented the deployment of troops to some cities, Tennessee National Guard troops have been part of the task force in Memphis since last fall.
The TBI is investigating both fatal shootings and will submit its findings to the local district attorney general.