Can I use Running shot in conjunction with the Shield TA? I know it counts as an action for the Shield member and that seems to suggest you can't, via the carrying characters rule. However, the verbage for the TA says you just declare the TA will be used before the attack roll is made and thus the +1 dmg per Shield member adjacent to the attacking figure.

You can't carry the person and use the T.A. because of the no action after taxi rules (NAAT), but I don't know about running next to the person and then using it.

While I've never gotten a clear answer, this came up in a game I was playing once. Now, you can't carry a SHIELD member around with you and do this, however, I figure if you can end your Running Shot NEXT to a SHIELD member, you can activate the TA before you make your "free action" attack.

That's how we played it, anyway.

That is exactly right. You can't give a SHIELD character a power action before your Running Shot character moves, because the SHIELD TA must be activated when the actual attack is made (per the SHIELD description). But making a Running Shot up adjacent to a SHIELD character is perfectly fine.

We cannot see this description (the correct application of the SHIELD TA) enough, IMO.