Sen. London Lamar says Guard members sent to reduce homicides have contributed to the homicide rate
London LamarTennessee state senator, Democrat of Memphis, in a statement to WMC Action News 5
In a statement to WMC Action News 5 after the autopsy findings, Lamar says the Guard was sent to Memphis to reduce homicides and has instead contributed to the homicide rate, and that she hopes those responsible are held accountable under the law.
Responding to
Tyrin Johnson turned on the two Tennessee National Guard members who were chasing him and pointed a handgun at them before they fired.
“This is disheartening to hear considering their purpose in being in Memphis is to reduce homicide and now National Guardsmen have contributed to the homicide rate. I hope those responsible are held accountable according to the law.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Tennessee Guard report says Tyrin Johnson pointed a gun before troops shot him; the autopsy found the bullet entered his back
Two Tennessee National Guard members on Memphis Safe Task Force patrol shot and killed Tyrin Johnson, 20, on July 5, 2026, after he ran from police with a handgun. A Guard report says he pointed a gun at them, while the autopsy found a single bullet entered his back. Videos released by the district attorney in November do not show the shooting, and the TBI investigation continues.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
WMC Action News 5 reports the medical examiner's findings, the earlier police account of the shooting, comments from the family's lawyer, and statements from state Sens. London Lamar and Raumesh Akbari.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
WMC Action News 5 reports that the medical examiner ruled Johnson's death a homicide and found he was shot in the back, and that Lamar and Sen. Raumesh Akbari had called for transparency at the start of the investigation.
After the quotation
Lamar's statement closes by offering condolences to Johnson's family.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the July 5, 2026 fatal shooting of Tyrin Johnson by two Tennessee National Guard members and the official account that he pointed a gun at them. Lamar says the Guard members contributed to the city's homicide rate and calls for those responsible to be held accountable, which condemns the shooting.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Tennessee National Guard
More from this case
Read the full caseAfter the video release, Andre Wharton says Johnson was running away when he was shot
“What is absent is that he was running away, and that is critical to this investigation”Read statement
Sen. Raumesh Akbari says the autopsy tells a different story than what the public was told
“This autopsy tells a different story than what the public was told and that demands an explanation.”Read statement
Johnson family lawyer Andre Wharton says law enforcement's account is inconsistent with the autopsy
“I just see some kind of blatant inconsistency there, in terms of what law enforcement reports”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Sen. London Lamar says Guard members sent to reduce homicides have contributed to the homicide rate
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8423-in-a-statement-to-wmc-action-news-5
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Sen. London Lamar says Guard members sent to reduce homicides have contributed to the homicide rate". First published: 2026-11-08. Last updated: 2026-11-08. https://disputeindex.com/events/8423-in-a-statement-to-wmc-action-news-5