A Drug Enforcement Administration agent fatally shot a man at a Memphis motel on Wednesday after the suspect pointed a handgun at task force members during a drug warrant operation, authorities said. It was the second fatal shooting in four days involving the Memphis Safe Task Force.
DEA agents knocked down the hotel room door around 8:30 a.m. local time after the suspect refused to open it. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the incident, said the situation escalated before the agent fired.
The shooting marks the fourth officer-involved death since the task force launched in September 2025, with all four occurring since mid-May. On Sunday, two National Guard members fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson. Earlier fatalities included Jonah Neal, 25, killed by a Homeland Security agent on May 21, and Darrin Pigram, 41, shot by a DEA agent on May 13.