This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, shows Senior Airman Roger Fortson in a Dec. 24, 2019, photo. The Air Force says the airman supporting its Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., was shot and killed on May 3, 2024, during an incident involving the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. MIAMI — Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S.
As Fortson walked back through his living room, deputies burst through the door, saw that Fortson was armed and shot him six times, according to Crump’s statement. The woman said Fortson was on the ground, saying, “I can’t breathe,” after he was shot, Crump said.Fortson died at a hospital, officials said. The deputy involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
“We are calling for transparency in the investigation into Roger’s death and the immediate release of body cam video to the family,” Crump said. “His family and the public deserve to know what occurred in the moments leading up to this tragedy.” The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement last week that a deputy responding to a call of a disturbance in progress at the apartment complex reacted in self-defense after encountering an armed man. The office did not offer details on what kind of disturbance deputies were responding to or who called them.
Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles as a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons during missions.The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email or voicemail seeking comment Wednesday by The Associated Press.Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
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