Tyrin Johnson was shot in the back. That is the finding of an autopsy performed by the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center. The report shows a bullet entered the right side of his back and exited through his upper right chest. This contradicts what authorities told the public after Johnson was killed by Tennessee National Guard members in downtown Memphis on July 5.
The initial story was different. Police and National Guard accounts said Johnson turned toward the troops with a gun while running from them in the early morning hours after the Fourth of July holiday. A Tennessee National Guard report obtained by The Associated Press said Johnson "rounded on them and pointed a tan handgun at them" before both troops fired their service weapons. Authorities said he was shot in the chest.
But the autopsy tells another story. A single bullet went through Johnson's back. The bullet had a slightly upward trajectory through his body. That would be consistent with him running away from the shooter, said Dr. Steven White, a certified forensic pathologist who reviewed the report for the AP. The report also noted there was no soot, gunpowder stippling or muzzle imprint around the wound. White said that indicated Johnson was likely shot from more than 3 feet away.
The medical examiner classified Johnson's death as a homicide. A death being ruled a homicide in an autopsy does not automatically mean it was a criminal act. But it does mean a person caused the death of another person. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said its investigation into the shooting remains open and ongoing.
The contradiction that matters
Here is where the story gets harder to swallow. The autopsy report itself contains an "investigative narrative" based on an account from a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent. That narrative states Johnson was turning toward law enforcement with a gun. "The unknown male grabbed at his waistband," the report stated. "Law enforcement officers saw the unknown male draw a firearm. Law enforcement officers then shot at the unknown male, striking him once in the chest."
So the same document that shows a bullet wound in Johnson's back also carries an officer's account describing a chest shot. The physical evidence and the written narrative do not match. Andre Wharton, an attorney representing Johnson's family, told the AP that the narrative presented by law enforcement does not match the autopsy findings of a single bullet wound in the back.
The autopsy report also listed Johnson's personal effects. He was carrying a handgun magazine with rounds. But the report did not list a handgun. Officials have not said if he pointed the gun at the National Guard members. A toxicology screen done on Johnson's blood came back with no positive findings of drugs or alcohol in his system.
What comes next
The shooting happened during President Donald Trump's federal anti-crime operation in Memphis. Tennessee National Guard members were assigned to a federal anti-crime task force. The incident has raised questions about the circumstances of the shooting and could impact public trust in law enforcement accounts.
Wharton said Johnson's family is processing the results of the autopsy and awaiting action by the district attorney. The Shelby County Medical Examiner's office did not respond to a request for comment. The Commercial Appeal and The Associated Press both obtained copies of the autopsy report.
The bullet entered Johnson's back. It pierced his lung. It killed him. The report is clear on that. What remains unclear is how the initial accounts described a chest wound when the physical evidence shows otherwise. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues its investigation. The district attorney will decide whether to bring charges.
Johnson was 20 years old. He died in downtown Memphis in the early morning hours after the Fourth of July. The National Guard members who fired their weapons were working on a federal anti-crime task force. Two guardsmen fired their service weapons. The autopsy showed only one gunshot wound.
The story keeps moving. The investigation remains open. The family waits. The contradiction between the autopsy and the initial police narrative sits in the middle of it all, unresolved. A bullet entered the back. The report says so. The question now is what that means for the people who gave the first account, and for the people who are waiting for answers.
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