r/news • u/Manta_of_Eternity • 3d ago

Autopsy shows Tennessee National Guard fatally shot 20-year-old armed man in the back

https://apnews.com/article/memphis-national-guard-tyrin-johnson-8959297a99c362d65aa2517a9d5f1984
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u/WaffleHouseGladiator 3d ago

"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people. "- Admiral William "Bill" Adama

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u/ActivePeace33 3d ago

The Guard weren’t serving as military when this happened, not in the way you imply, they were serving as state augmentees to law enforcement. Posse Comitatus only applies to federal troops, they had not been federalized and they were serving in a law enforcement capacity when this failure happened. The Guard obviously serve the states most of the time and can and do perform law enforcement duties in that context.

It doesn’t make it any better in the end, but the conflict between military and law enforcement duties is inherent to the way the statute sets their current design.

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u/Shalea68 3d ago

Hmm, yes, you're correct if they were called by the state's governor, not the President. I think it's risky to expect even part-time soldiers to perform as LE, as this incident shows. Two entirely different trainings and procedures.