Family of Airman shot dead by police claim officers failed to announce presence before bursting into home as bodycam set to be released
Roger Fortson’s family claim that law enforcement responded to the wrong address and have demanded a full investigation
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The mother of a US Air Force member shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Florida says that law enforcement did not give any warning before bursting into her son’s apartment and gunning him down.
Roger Fortson was killed by the deputy who his family allege responded to the wrong address. After hearing a knock on the door he demanded to know “who is it?” but did not get a response, said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who was retained by the man’s family.
Mr Crump said that Fortson then heard a “very aggressive knock” and grabbed his own firearm. When he returned, an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy came through the door and shot Fortson six times when he spotted the gun.
The man’s girlfriend said she could see him on the ground over FaceTime saying “I can’t breathe”.
Fortson was alone inside his apartment, while his family alleges that the deputy responded to the call at the wrong address.
Meka Fortson, the airman’s mother, spoke alongside Mr Crump during a news conference on Thursday. At points, she held a large military portrait of her son and sobbed.
She called for an investigation into the incident and for the sheriff’s department to “tell the truth about my son.”
The officer who shot Fortson has been placed on administrative leave. He has not been identified by the sheriff’s office.
In a written statement, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said: “All of us at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office are saddened about the fatal officer involved shooting over the weekend.”
He stated that the officer responded to a disturbance call late Friday afternoon and “encountered an armed man”. The deputy then shot the man, who succumbed to his injuries, Sheriff Aden said.
The official said he has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct an investigation into the incident and added that the state attorney’s office will also conduct an independent review.
The Independent has emailed the sheriff’s office for comment.
Ms Fortson described her son as a “gift”.
“Where we come from, you don’t end up where Roger ended up,” she said, speaking of her son’s military accomplishments. She described Fortson as intelligent, compassionate and a dotting big brother to his little sister Harmony. The Air Force member taught her what credit was, she said and had recently bought her a new car.
“They don’t know what they took from me,” she said, fighting back tears while speaking to reporters.
Mr Crump said the family would be reviewing the body cam footage with the sheriff’s department on Thursday and that it would later be released to the public.