Developing·Case the developing record
#DC-0057

Tyrin Johnson and Darius Chappell

Deaths linked in reporting and advocacy to scrutiny of the Memphis Safe Task Force and related Tennessee law-enforcement actions.

Investigation
last updated 10 September 2026 · 8 sources
Confirmed facts
20
Open questions
7
Deaths named
2
Charges
None reported
Latest source
28 Aug 2026
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Tyrin Johnson and Darius Chappell, reference D C zero zero five seven. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, the Memphis Safe Task Force was established by Presidential Order, with an operational period beginning October first, twenty twenty-five, for federal prosecution statistics. The Guardian reported that Darius Chappell was taken into custody in Clarksville on June twenty-ninth, twenty twenty-six, after what police described as a use-of-force incident. The Guardian reported he was found dead in a Montgomery County jail cell on July third. The Associated Press reported that, on July fifth, two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a Memphis patrol fatally shot Tyrin Johnson, twenty. Authorities said Johnson turned toward the soldiers with a gun. AP reported an autopsy shared by Johnson’s family said one bullet entered Johnson’s back and exited through his upper right chest. The Guardian reported the NAACP demanded suspension of the task force and a transparent federal investigation after both deaths. The file’s open questions include whether federal investigators will act, what TBI will conclude, whether video will be released, and Chappell’s official cause and manner of death. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero zero five seven at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed20 entries
15 September 2025
The Justice Department said the Memphis Safe Task Force was established by Presidential Order to support the White House “Restoring Law and Order in Memphis” action.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee
1 October 2025
The Justice Department described 1 October 2025 as the start of the Memphis Safe Task Force operational period used in its federal prosecution statistics.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee
13 May 2026
Four Memphis residents sued U.S. and Tennessee officials, alleging harassment, arrests and physical mistreatment connected to observing and recording Memphis Safe Task Force activity; the allegations were made in a lawsuit and were not adjudicated in the reporting reviewed.
Los Angeles Times/AP
29 June 2026
Darius Chappell was taken into custody in Clarksville after what police described as a “use of force” incident.
The Guardian
3 July 2026
Darius Chappell, described by The Guardian as a 34-year-old father of three young sons, was found dead in a cell at the Montgomery County jail.
The Guardian
5 July 2026
Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot Tyrin Johnson, 20, during a downtown pursuit; authorities said Johnson turned toward the soldiers with a gun.
AP
5 July 2026
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the man killed in the 5 July Memphis shooting as Tyrin Johnson and said it was investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
AP
5 July 2026
AP reported that Johnson died at the scene after two National Guard medical specialists attempted first aid.
AP
5 July 2026
An autopsy report shared by Tyrin Johnson's family said a single bullet entered the right side of Johnson's back and exited through his upper right chest.
AP · added 10 Sep 2026
5 July 2026
A Tennessee National Guard report obtained by AP through a public-records request said two Guard members responded to a Memphis police radio call, approached Johnson, reported that he rounded on them and pointed a handgun, and both fired M17 handguns before Memphis police arrived shortly after.
AP · added 10 Sep 2026
6 July 2026
Evaniel Johnson, Tyrin Johnson's grandfather, called for video evidence to be released and said he wanted to see whether video supported the police account.
AP
8 July 2026
A member of the Memphis Safe Task Force fatally shot a man while DEA agents were serving a drug warrant at a Memphis hotel; CBS/AP reported this as the second fatal shooting by a task-force member in four days.
CBS News/AP
8 July 2026
CBS/AP reported differing official descriptions of the 8 July shooting: the U.S. Marshals Service said the man was killed after pointing a handgun at task-force members, while a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation release said the situation escalated for reasons still under investigation and a DEA agent fired into a room.
CBS News/AP
10 July 2026
The NAACP demanded suspension of the Memphis Safe Task Force and asked acting attorney general Todd Blanche for a thorough, transparent federal investigation into the task force after the deaths of Tyrin Johnson and Darius Chappell.
The Guardian
10 July 2026
The Guardian reported that Clarksville police had launched an investigation into deployment of a police dog during Chappell's arrest and had placed an officer on administrative leave.
The Guardian
10 July 2026
The NAACP letter said no officers had been charged in Chappell's death and no official cause of death had been issued.
The Guardian
18 July 2026
The Guardian reported that taskforce spokespeople had not elaborated on the circumstances that led troops to open fire on Tyrin Johnson, had not released video from a Memphis police street camera near the shooting location, and that the soldiers were not wearing body cameras.
The Guardian · added 26 Jul 2026
28 August 2026
The autopsy report shared by Johnson's family listed Johnson's manner of death as homicide; AP noted that the term generally does not by itself address intent or legal responsibility.
AP · added 10 Sep 2026
28 August 2026
A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson told AP that neither TBI nor the Shelby County District Attorney's Office had seen the National Guard report, and a district attorney spokesperson told AP that the office receives information from TBI.
AP · added 10 Sep 2026
28 August 2026
Evaniel Johnson told AP that Johnson's family still had not been shown video of the moments leading up to the shooting.
AP · added 10 Sep 2026
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Will the Justice Department open a federal civil-rights or misconduct investigation into the Memphis Safe Task Force incidents identified by the NAACP?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What will TBI conclude about the 5 July 2026 fatal shooting of Tyrin Johnson?pending state inquiry · unconfirmed
Will any body-camera, surveillance or other video from the Johnson shooting be released?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What is the official cause and manner of Darius Chappell's death?not released · unconfirmed
What medical care, if any, did Chappell receive between his 29 June 2026 arrest and the discovery of his body in jail?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
What will Clarksville police conclude about the police-dog deployment during Chappell's arrest?pending local inquiry · unconfirmed
How will TBI or prosecutors address the difference between the autopsy findings and earlier law-enforcement accounts of Johnson's position when he was shot?unconfirmed · unconfirmed
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