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Family of a man killed by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers

View original article → Jul 14, 2026, 9:06 PM

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Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Family of a man shot by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers A troubling pattern of federal agents fatally shooting civilians is developing, with deaths in Maine, Texas and Tennessee. The family of a man shot by agents told NPR they want answers. National Family of a man shot by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers July 14, 20267:26 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Juliana Kim Family of a man killed by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers Listen · 2:29 2:29 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5891873/nx-s1-9847334" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript A troubling pattern of federal agents fatally shooting civilians is developing, with deaths in Maine, Texas and Tennessee. The family of a man shot by agents told NPR they want answers. Sponsor Message Transcript A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: While fatal shootings involving federal agents in Maine and Texas have led to outrage and protests, Memphis has been quietly dealing with multiple deadly encounters involving a federal task force. NPR's Juliana Kim spoke with one family whose son was shot while experiencing a mental health crisis. And just a warning - this story mentions suicide. JULIANA KIM, BYLINE: Jessica Neal says it all happened so fast. JESSICA NEAL: It was very, like - like, my whole life changed in 20 minutes. KIM: Back in May one evening, Neal says, she came home to see her son threatening to end his life with her handgun. She immediately called 911. Instead of local police, Neal says, three federal agents showed up and told her to wait outside. She says minutes later... NEAL: I heard a gunshot, and that was it. I don't know. Like, I don't know anything after that. KIM: Jonah died on the scene. The officer who opened fire is with Homeland Security Investigations. At the time, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations said it was, quote, "not immediately clear whether Neal died as a result of the agent firing upon him or if it was self-inflicted stab wounds," end quote. Last week, the bureau told NPR that they're still investigating Jonah's death. Four other shootings involving federal agents are under investigation. Two of the fatal instances happened last week. Hundreds of federal personnel have been in Memphis since last fall to address crime. It was at the direction of President Trump and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. The state's National Guard also sent troops. A spokesperson for the task force says it made thousands of arrests and taken illegal firearms off the streets. Jonah's grandmother Cindy Leachman Aldridge says her family wants to know what prompted a federal agent to shoot Jonah, as well as... CINDY LEACHMAN ALDRIDGE: Why was Homeland Security sent there? Why was not Memphis PD and a mental health counselor sent there? KIM: Jonah's family described him as smart, caring and quiet. His grandmother says he especially loved music. LEACHMAN ALDRIDGE: He'd get in the car, and he'd say, Meemaw, play that old-school music. KIM: His mental health struggles only appeared in recent years. They got worse by his father's death last year, his mother says. NEAL: I never gave up hope. KIM: Neal says for a while, her son was hesitant about getting help. But in recent months, he became more open to it. It's all the more reason his death has been difficult to accept. Juliana Kim, NPR News. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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+ Clarification: A previous headline and description of this report said federal agents had fatally shot Jessica Neal's son Jonah. In a May press release, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it was not clear at that time whether Neal had died as a result of the shooting or from self-inflicted stab wounds. No additional information on the cause of death has been released. July 14, 2026 Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{310:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(769),o(155),o(176),o(93),o(447),o(254),o(128),o(130),o(754),o(175),o(755),o(255),o(78),o(773)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},782:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(310)}},[[782,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();