Federal task force member fatally shoots man in Memphis hotel during drug warrant

A member of a federal crime-fighting task force in Memphis shot and killed a man in a hotel room on Wednesday while serving a drug warrant. The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time. Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration knocked down the door after the man refused to open it, according to a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman.

Details of the shooting An initial statement from the Marshals Service said the man pointed a handgun at task force members before he was shot. A later release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation stated only that the situation escalated, resulting in a DEA agent firing into the room and killing the man.

No law enforcement officers were injured. The DEA team included at least one local Memphis Police Department officer.

Prior incidents The Wednesday shooting is the second fatal shooting by a task force member in four days. On Sunday, two Tennessee National Guard members fatally shot a 20-year-old man during a downtown pursuit after they said he turned toward them with a gun.

In May, a task force member shot and killed a man while serving an arrest warrant, and another task force member fatally shot a 25-year-old man who was armed and threatening self-harm. Authorities have not identified the man killed on Wednesday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is examining all four shootings and will forward its findings to the local district attorney general.

Task force background The Memphis Safe Task Force was created last year by President Donald Trump to place National Guard troops and federal agents in cities described as having high crime. Tennessee National Guard troops have served in Memphis as part of the task force since last fall.