Andre Wharton says the shooting of Neal was "unjustified in our opinion"
Attorney for the family of Jonah Neal, in an interview with NPR
“It was unjustified in our opinion … The response that we were able to observe was just totally inconsistent with good law enforcement”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
NPR report published August 23, 2026, on family attorney Andre Wharton's description of body camera footage shown to the family by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office. It includes statements from Neal's mother and grandmother at a press conference and responses from TBI, the district attorney's office and the White House.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Wharton told NPR that he and Neal's mother were recently shown body camera footage by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.
After the quotation
NPR reported that the district attorney's office did not respond to its request to review the footage and that TBI declined to comment on it because the investigation was ongoing.
How this statement is classified
Responding to: Family attorney Andre Wharton said body camera footage shown to the family by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office shows that Jonah Neal did not pose a threat that warranted deadly force when the HSI agent shot him.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the agent's use of deadly force against Neal, Wharton says the shooting was "unjustified in our opinion" and the response "totally inconsistent with good law enforcement". He rejects the use of force directly, so the label is condemns rather than a challenge to a description.
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- People and groups discussed
- Homeland Security Investigations
Was the HSI agent justified in fatally shooting Jonah Neal during a Memphis mental-health call?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full caseACLU of Tennessee
“The recklessness extends beyond mass detention to fatal force. … In another news story that broke in August, the family of Jonah Neal stated that body camera footage shows that HSI’s shooting of Neal was unjustified. Neal was shot on May 20 after his mother called 911 seeking help for his mental health crisis. Imagine the heartbreak of calling the police to help a loved one facing a breakdown and being left to plan a funeral instead. That pain is the Neal family’s reality. … Whether the Task Force is detaining hundreds of people at a nightclub, harassing Memphians with meritless traffic tickets, or opening fire on a young man seeking help, the pattern holds that legal protections for Memphians come last, if they come at all.”Read statement
“My son did not hurt anybody. And, within 30 seconds, she decided his life was not worth it”Read statement
“Mayor Young expects those reviews to be completed fully and transparently, and he believes the facts should guide any conclusions”Read statement