De’Greaun Frazier
Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting death Tuesday afternoon of a TBI special agent during the course of an ongoing drug investigation.
Special agents from the TBI have arrested and charged a Jackson man in connection to the shooting death.
Preliminary information indicates Special Agent De’Greaun Frazier was one of several agents working alongside the Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force during a controlled buy on Tuesday around 2 p.m. in a vehicle in the area of Brianfield Cove. During the exchange, a subject in the backseat of the car, identified as Brenden Tyler Burns, whom the agent met for the purposes of purchasing illicit drugs, produced a firearm in an attempt to rob the agent and an informant sitting in the front seat. During the exchange, Burns fired at least once, striking Agent Frazier, who subsequently died at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital.
Shortly after the shooting, law enforcement officers apprehended Burns, 23, a short distance away in the area of Tinker Hill Cove. On Wednesday morning, TBI agents charged him with one count of murder in the perpetration of attempted aggravated robbery. He is being held in the Madison County Jail without bond.
Mr. Frazier, 35, joined TBI in February 2016, following a career as a police officer with the Millington Police Department. In that capacity, he also served on a DEA Task Force.
“Agent Frazier was exactly what we look for in a TBI agent: hard-working, enthusiastic, and dedicated to making Tennessee a better place to live,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “We are deeply saddened by his death and will work aggressively to investigate this case to its fullest. His commitment to our agency and public service will not be forgotten.”