Security guard charged with murder after shooting man at Walgreens, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A Memphis security guard was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after a shooting at a midtown Walgreens.

The shooting happened Saturday night at the store at Poplar and Cleveland, according to the Memphis Police Department.

According to an arrest affidavit, 40-year-old security guard Devin Mitchell was in a confrontation with Michael Birdsong, who refused to leave store property.

Mitchell told officers Birdsong stated ”he was not going anywhere” and then put his hand in the waist of his pants.

Mitchell said he did not see a weapon, according to the affidavit, but the guard pulled his own gun and shot Birdsong in the face.

Birdsong died at the hospital, officers reported.

Mitchell was employed by Memphis-based Imperial Security and multiple vehicles from the company were seen at the store while officers investigated.

A vice president for Imperial Security said the company was still investigating the incident and couldn’t offer additional comment.

Walgreens was also fully cooperating with authorities in the investigation, a spokesperson for the pharmacy said.

State records from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance show Mitchell has an active license to work as an armed security guard, first issued in April 2019.

Mitchell declined to give a formal statement when questioned by investigators, according to the affidavit. He is being held in jail on a $250,000 bond.