According to an attorney representing the family, deputies in Florida mistakenly entered the wrong apartment unit while responding to a disturbance call. They encountered a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was alone at home and noticed that he had a gun. Tragically, they shot and killed him.
Senior Airman Roger Fortson, who was 23 years old and stationed at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, was in his apartment in Fort Walton Beach when the shooting occurred on May 3rd. According to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Fortson was talking to a woman on a Facetime call when the encounter happened.
Crump stated that a woman, whose identity he did not reveal, reported that Fortson was by himself in his apartment when he heard someone knocking at the door. He asked who was there, but nobody answered. According to the woman’s account, a few minutes later, Fortson heard a louder knock on the door. However, when he looked through the peephole, he didn’t see anyone.
The woman said that Fortson was worried and went to get his gun, which Crump said he owned legally.
As Fortson was walking back through his living room, deputies suddenly entered through the door. They noticed that Fortson had a weapon and proceeded to shoot him six times, as stated by Crump. The woman stated that Fortson was on the ground, saying “I can’t breathe” after he was shot, according to Crump.
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Officials said that Fortson passed away at a hospital. The deputy who was involved in the shooting has been put on administrative leave while an investigation takes place.
The woman stated that Fortson was not causing any trouble during their Facetime call. She believes that the deputies must have gone to the wrong apartment, according to Crump’s statement.
“The way Roger died brings up important questions that need to be answered right away by the authorities. This is especially concerning because a witness said that the police went into the wrong apartment,” Crump said.
“We are asking for the investigation into Roger’s death to be transparent and for the body cam video to be released to the family right away,” Crump said. “His family and the public should be informed about what happened before this tragic event.”
Crump is a lawyer who is well-known across the country. He works in Tallahassee, Florida. He has been connected to several well-known incidents where law enforcement officers shot Black individuals, such as Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Tyre Nichols, and George Floyd.
The family of Crump and Fortson will hold a news conference in Fort Walton Beach on Thursday morning.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office did not respond right away to an email or voicemail from The Associated Press asking for a comment about Crump’s claims. Sheriff Eric Aden shared a statement on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon expressing his sadness about the shooting.
“Right now, we kindly request our community to be patient as we try to understand the details that led to this sad event,” Aden said.
Last week, the sheriff’s office released a statement saying that a deputy, who was responding to a call about a disturbance at an apartment complex, acted in self-defense when they encountered a man with a weapon. The office did not provide any specific information about the type of disturbance that the deputies were responding to or who made the call.
The sheriff’s office did not provide immediate information about the identities or races of the deputies who responded. Earlier this week, officials announced that the shooting will be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the local State Attorney’s Office.
FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said on Wednesday that it is very unlikely the agency will provide any more information until the investigation is finished.
Fortson was given the job of being a special missions aviator in the 4th Special Operations Squadron. As part of the AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew, one of his tasks was to load the 30mm and 105mm cannons on the gunship during missions.
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