A Florida sheriff’s office released police bodycam footage of an officer killing a Black serviceman in an Okaloosa County apartment, following claims by the victim’s family that the shooting was “unjustifiable.”
The video shows 23-year-old U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson holding a gun pointed at the ground while answering the door of his apartment after a deputy twice knocked and identified himself as a law enforcement officer.
The unidentified Okaloosa County deputy tells Fortson to “step back” then immediately fires at least four shots in succession, sending Fortson to the ground.
“Drop the gun!” the officer orders repeatedly.
Fortson tells the deputy he’s already dropped the weapon and the lawman calls for medical assistance on his radio.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing the victim’s family, earlier claimed law enforcement responding to a call about a disturbance wound up outside the wrong apartment. Crump also alleged the officer failed to identify himself and obscured the door’s peephole.
Fortson was alone in the apartment and speaking to his girlfriend on FaceTime when the shooting occurred, according to the Fortson family’s lawyer.
“We remain adamant that the police had the wrong apartment as Roger was on the phone with his girlfriend for a substantial amount of time leading up to the shooting, and no one else was in the apartment,” a statement from Crump argued Thursday.
After releasing video of the shooting, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said he met with the victim’s family to express his sympathy, according to The Associated Press.
“These investigations take time, but I want to assure you that we are not hiding or attempting to cover anything up,” he said.
Crump said the May 3 shooting took the life of “an exceptional guy” the responding officer misjudged.
“They took a patriot from us,” he said.
According to Crump, the serviceman armed himself after he heard someone outside his apartment but received no answer when he asked who was there. The gun he retrieved was legally owned.
Fortson, originally from Atlanta, joined the Air Force on Nov. 19, 2019, according to Military.com. He was reportedly assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, which operates combat aircraft.
With News Wire Services
