Police officers responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and shot and killed a black US Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, the man’s family’s lawyer said Wednesday.
Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, based at the Hurlburt Field Special Operations Wing, was at his home at Chez Elan Apartments, about five miles from the air base, when he was killed.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement that Fortson was on a Facetime call with a woman at the time of the encounter.
According to Crump, the woman, whom Crump did not identify, said Fortson was alone in his apartment when he heard a knock at the door. He asked who was there but got no answer. A few minutes later, there was a very aggressive knock on the door, Crump said in a statement, but Fortson didn’t see anyone when he looked through the peephole.
The woman said Fortson was worried and went to get his gun, which Crump said was legally his.
As Fortson returned to his living room, officers burst in the door, saw that Fortson was armed and shot him six times, according to Crump’s statement. Fortson was on the ground saying, “I can’t breathe” after being shot, Crump said.
Fortson died at the hospital, officials said. The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
The woman said Fortson did not cause a disturbance during their Facetime call and believed the deputies must have the wrong apartment, according to Crump’s statement.
/PA
“The circumstances surrounding Roger’s death raise serious questions that demand immediate answers from authorities, especially given a witness’s alarming statement that police went to the wrong apartment,” Crump said. in the press release.
“We are calling for transparency in the investigation into Roger’s death and for the immediate release of the body camera video to the family,” Crump said. “His family and the public deserve to know what happened in the moments leading up to this tragedy.”
Crump is a nationally recognized attorney based in Tallahassee, Florida. He has been involved in several high-profile shooting cases involving Black people, including those of Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Tire Nichols, and George Floyd.
Crump and Fortson’s family plans to speak at a news conference in Fort Walton Beach Thursday morning.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement last week that a deputy responding to a call about a disturbance in progress at the apartment complex responded in self-defense after encountering an armed man. The office did not provide details on what type of disturbances deputies were responding to or who called them.
Authorities said earlier this week that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the local district attorney’s office would investigate the shooting.
FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it was highly unlikely the agency would make any further comments until the investigation is complete.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement Wednesday: “All of us at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office are saddened by the fatal officer involved shooting over the weekend. ”
Aden said he immediately placed the deputy on administrative leave and directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to conduct the investigation required in such incidents. The Attorney General’s Office will also conduct an independent review.
“At this time, we humbly ask for the patience of our community as we work to understand the facts that led to this tragic event,” the sheriff said.
Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a Special Missions Airman, where one of his roles as a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider crew was to task the 30mm and 105mm guns of the combat helicopter during missions.
Fort Walton Beach is located between Panama City Beach and Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.
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