A newly released video has shed more light on the death of Roger Fortson, an active-duty Air Force airman who was shot and killed by a Florida deputy.
According to the Associated Press, the incident occurred Friday, May 3, inside Fortson’s off-base apartment in Fort Walton Beach. Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the 23-year-old serviceman was on a FaceTime call with a woman when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. The woman, who was later identified as Fortson’s girlfriend, reportedly heard Fortson asking, “Who is it?” but didn’t get a response. Crump said the girlfriend recalled hearing an aggressive knock a few minutes later, which prompted Fortson to get up to see who was there.
“But Roger didn’t see anyone when he looked out the peephole,” Crump said in a May 3 statement. “Concerned, he did what any other law-abiding citizen would do and retrieved his legally-owned gun, but as he was walking back to the living room, police burst through the door.”
Crump said the woman on the FaceTime call saw Fortson get shot multiple times before falling to the floor. “I can’t breathe,” the airman reportedly as a deputy entered the unit. The woman claimed “the police were in the wrong apartment as there was no disturbance in the apartment and he was alone.” Fortson was eventually transported to the hospital where succumbed to his injuries.
“The circumstances surrounding Roger’s death raise serious questions that demand immediate answers from authorities, especially considering the alarming witness statement that the police entered the wrong apartment,” Crump said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office released the deputy’s body camera video that disputed Crump’s initial statement. According to the Associated Press, the footage begins at 4:28 p.m. and shows the unidentified deputy arriving at the apartment complex, where he encounters a woman who says there was a disturbance in unit 1401 that was “getting out of hand.” The woman claims she heard screaming and a “slap” noise when she walked by the apartment, but couldn’t confirm where the sound came from.
The deputy then takes an elevator and arrives outside a door with the number 1401. He reportedly knocked three times and announced himself twice: “Sheriff’s office, open the door,” the deputy is heard saying on the body cam video.
Seconds later, the door opens and the deputy shouts “step back” before firing shots. “Drop the gun! Drop the gun! Do not move!” the deputy continues.
“It’s over there…I don’t have it,” Fortson is heard saying.
The deputy continues to keep his gun pointed at Fortson as he calls for emergency medical assistance.
“It pains me to show the video, but I know that you all need to see it,” Sheriff Eric Aden told reporters during a Thursday press conference. Although Aden didn’t take questions from the press, he confirmed the involved deputy was placed on administrative leave as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the shooting.
“For whatever reason, they thought [Roger Fortson] was a bad guy, but he was a good guy. He was a great guy. He was an exceptional guy,” Crump told reporters. “They took a patriot from us. He was just in his apartment, minding his business. They could have made sure they were at the right apartment. They had a duty to make sure they were at the right apartment before they busted in the door.”
Crump continued, “He was living his dream. By doing so, he was going to make it better for his mother and siblings so they could have a better chance at the American dream.”
