Autopsy shows Tennessee Guard shot 20-year-old man in the back
An autopsy report indicates a Tennessee National Guard member shot an armed 20-year-old man in the back, contradicting police statements that he faced the troops.
According to an autopsy performed by the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center, a 20-year-old armed man was shot in the back by a Tennessee National Guard soldier, with the bullet traveling upward through his torso. Police reports had claimed the man faced the guards and pointed a handgun at them before being hit in the chest. The guard soldiers were assigned to the Memphis Safe Task Force, a federal anti-crime deployment initiated by President Donald Trump, which has been involved in four lethal shootings between May and July.
The family’s representative, attorney Andre Wharton, highlighted inconsistencies between the forensic evidence and the law-enforcement account, noting the lack of gunpowder residue near the wound. No charges have been filed, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s investigation remains open. The family has requested surveillance footage to clarify the circumstances of the shooting.
Why it matters
The report challenges official police accounts of a fatal guard shooting, raising questions about use of force and accountability.
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