Autopsy reports for two men killed by members of President Donald Trump's Memphis Safe Task Force showed one man was shot in the neck and the other was shot at least five times.
Jonah Neal and Alfonzo Ivy were killed within weeks of one another. Neal was shot by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent on May 20 and Ivy was shot by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent on July 8.
Neal was 25 at the time of his death and Ivy was 47.
Both deaths remain under investigation. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, in initial statements, spelled Ivy's first name Alfonso. The autopsy report spelled it Alfonzo.
Family said Neal was in mental health crisis
Neal's death has been the subject of scrutiny in recent weeks after reports that Neal's family called 911 because he was having a mental
health emergency. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which has open investigations into both shootings, said in a press release at the time that HSI "responded to a report of a man armed with a gun, threatening to harm himself."
In that same press release, TBI said it was "not immediately clear whether Neal died as a result of the agent firing upon him or if it was self-inflicted stab wounds." Neal's autopsy, obtained by The Commercial Appeal on Sept. 8, found his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the neck.
His manner of death was listed as homicide, though that is not considered a legal finding of a crime being committed.
Neal, according to the autopsy, was shot through the side of his neck. The bullet entered on the left side and excited through the back, right side of his neck.
The autopsy also showed "sharp force injuries" to the left side of his neck and his left forearm.
There was also evidence of medical care, with a breathing tube, defibrillator pads, gauze and a catheter still attached to Neal's body.
A toxicology report found Neal was positive for cannabis, multiple prescription medications for anxiety and a blood alcohol concentration of 0.291 grams per 100 milliliters — much higher than Tennessee's legal limit of 0.08.
An investigator narrative attached to the autopsy report said Neal's mother called 911 because he was "exhibiting suicidal behavior." The narrative did not include any additional details as to what led to the shooting.
Ivy shot as DEA served warrant
Ivy's shooting death came just over a month after Neal's when DEA agents were attempting to serve a warrant. Details about the shooting have been scant, with the U.S. Marshals Service saying officers tried to get Ivy to leave a hotel room at the Extended Stay America on Poplar Avenue.
Allegedly, Ivy pointed a handgun at task force members when they made a forced entry into the building, and task force members then shot him.
Ivy's autopsy report found he had been shot four times in his torso. It found one gunshot to his abdomen, one gunshot to his chest and two gunshot wounds to the back of his left shoulder. He had also been shot once in the front of his left thigh.
He also had "graze wounds of the abdomen and back" and "minor abrasions and scalp laceration."
His cause of death was listed as "multiple gunshot wounds" and manner of death listed as homicide.
A toxicology panel was also conducted for Ivy, which found cannabis and oxycodone in his system.
The investigator narrative attached to Ivy's autopsy report included additional information that was given to the medical examiner about the incident. According to the narrative, law enforcement was attempting to serve a warrant and Ivy first ran outside of the hotel. When he saw law enforcement, however, he ran back inside.
"He had his gun drawn and law enforcement ordered him to drop his weapon, then shots were fired," the investigator narrative read.
Four fatal shootings by Taks Force members
Including Neal and Ivy, at least four people have been fatally shot by members of the Memphis Safe Task Force since it arrived in October 2025.
Darrin Pigram, 41, was killed while working his job at a local Burger King on May 13 by a DEA agent. Tyrin Johnson, 20, was killed on July 5 by the National Guard during a foot chase, according to law enforcement.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office declined to charge the DEA agent who shot Pigram, releasing surveillance camera footage in July as part of its declination announcement.
A decision has not yet been made as to whether members of the National Guard could face charges for killing Johnson. The two National Guard members involved in the shooting were too young to be Memphis police officers, The Commercial Appeal reported, and an autopsy revealed Johnson had been shot in the back.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Autopsy reports detail two Memphis Safe Task Force-involved deaths
