FORT WALTON BEACH, FL – A tragic incident unfolded on May 3, when a U.S. Air Force airman was fatally shot by deputies who mistakenly entered his apartment in Florida, according to the family’s attorney. The airman, Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, served with the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field and was off-duty at his apartment in Fort Walton Beach at the time of the incident.
The attorney, Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer, stated that Fortson was on a Facetime call with an unidentified woman during the incident. According to the woman’s account, Fortson was alone in his apartment when he heard a knock at the door. When he didn’t receive a response to his query about the visitor’s identity, he retrieved his legally owned firearm for safety.
Crump’s statement detailed that as Fortson returned to his living room, deputies broke into his apartment and, seeing him armed, shot him six times. The woman on the call reported that Fortson was on the ground, gasping for breath after being shot.
Following the incident, Fortson was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The deputy involved in the shooting has since been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
The woman on the call with Fortson insisted that there was no disturbance during their conversation, leading her to believe that the deputies had entered the wrong apartment. Crump echoed her sentiments, stating that the circumstances surrounding Fortson’s death raised serious questions that required immediate answers from the authorities.
Crump, known for his involvement in several high-profile law enforcement shooting cases involving Black individuals, has called for transparency in the investigation into Fortson’s death. He has also demanded the immediate release of the body cam footage to Fortson’s family.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has not yet responded to Crump’s claims. However, Sheriff Eric Aden expressed his sorrow over the incident on Facebook, requesting patience from the community as they work to understand the events that led to this tragedy.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the local State Attorney’s Office are set to investigate the shooting. The incident echoes other cases where Black individuals have been fatally shot by police in their homes under similar circumstances.