Man Shot in Memphis Is Fourth to Be Killed by Federal Task Force Agents

In Tennessee, a DEA agent shot and killed a man at a Memphis motel on Wednesday as members of a federal task force attempted to serve an arrest warrant. The U.S. Marshals Service alleges the suspect had pointed a gun at agents. The victim has not been identified. It’s the fourth deadly shooting by agents with the Trump administration’s so-called Memphis Safe Task Force, which includes members of the Tennessee National Guard and officers from more than a dozen federal agencies. On Monday, two National Guard soldiers fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson as he was being pursued by Memphis police. His family is demanding video evidence corroborating police claims that Johnson first attempted to fire a gun at the soldiers. Just weeks earlier, a Homeland Security special agent shot 25-year-old Jonah Neal in his Memphis home. Neal’s family had called 911 to report he had a gun and was threatening to harm himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene. And on May 13, a DEA agent fatally shot 41-year-old Darrin Pigram as he worked his shift at a Memphis Burger King. Authorities say the officer opened fire after Pigram reached into his waistband for a gun. His family says he was unarmed and shot in the back. www.democracycnow.org