An agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), who served as a member of the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF), will not face state charges over the fatal shooting that occurred at a Burger King in Memphis in May, the Shelby County District Attorney announced on Monday.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) originally confirmed in May that the state law enforcement agency and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy were investigating the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting of Darrin Pigram on May 13.
According to TBI, the MSTF members were in the area to serve an arrest warrant. They said evidence suggested, “upon their arrival, the subject reached for a gun in his waistband,” which prompted a DEA agent to fire the fatal shot.
The five-page letter released by Mulroy’s office provided new details about the shooting, including that it occurred at the fast food restaurant, and that Pigram’s firearm was both photographed on a Memphis Police Department (MPD) body camera and photographed at the scene.
Both the agent who fired his weapon at Pigram, identified as DEA Agent Levy Blandon, as well as a second agent, also told investigators they saw Pigram’s weapon at some point during the altercation.
“The evidence shows officers were serving a warrant for aggravated assault, and had reason to suspect Mr. Pigram had previously used a weapon unlawfully. They appeared in uniform, identified themselves as officers, and indicated they were there to arrest him,” Mulroy (pictured above) stated. “Video confirmed the bulk of the officers’ account, although it did not clearly show the actual shooting itself.”
The district attorney added that witness statements, including those from individuals outside law enforcement, supported the agents’ version of events.
“Non-law-enforcement witnesses confirmed the officers’ account that Mr. Pigram made statements like ‘No way…What are you going to do, shoot me? Shoot me,’ and that it was not unusual for him to be armed while working at the Burger King,” said Mulroy.
He stated, “Mr. Pigram was found with a handgun, and there is no credible evidence contradicting the consistent account of two officers that he reached for the gun in his waistband before the officer fired. On these facts, we cannot conclude that any law was violated.”
An attorney representing Pigram’s family said they “respectfully disagree” with Mulroy’s conclusions, according to a statement reported by Action 5 News, which claimed the district attorney’s report contains “factual errors and internal inconsistencies.”
While the attorney did not list the purported problems with Mulroy’s letter, the document notably misspells Pigram’s surname as “Pigrim” in one place, and his given name as “Darren” rather than “Darrin” in another.
It also repeatedly claims the incident occurred on May 14, but the TBI had already acknowledged it was investigating the circumstances behind the fatal shooting on May 13.
Mulroy additionally incorrectly identifies the federal agency involved as the “Drug Enforcement Agency.” The federal agency is named the “Drug Enforcement Administration.”
The news that Blandon will not face charges comes about one month after the task force surpassed 10,000 arrests since deploying to Memphis last September. According to data published by the city, almost 17,000 arrests have been made by all law enforcement since MSTF arrived.
It also comes amid tensions between the district attorney and state officials over how his office handles cases generated by MSTF, with Mulroy suing over legislation that requires his office to explain any task force-related charge the district attorney’s office drops, reduces, declines to prosecute, or reaches a plea agreement.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee confirmed his office would review the reports it receives from Mulroy. The district attorney has sued, claiming the law was motivated by his “political differences” with members of the Trump administration.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Steve Mulroy” by Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
