A 23-year-old member of the U.S. Air Force was fatally shot by deputies who entered the wrong apartment while responding to a disturbance call at his Florida complex.
Senior Airman Roger Fortson was in his off-base apartment in Fort Walton Beach on May 3 when the tragedy unfolded, sparking outrage and prompting calls for a thorough investigation.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Fortson’s family, detailed that at the time of the shooting, Fortson was engaged in a Facetime call and had not been causing any disturbance. According to the account shared by the woman on the call, Fortson went to answer a knock on his door but found no one outside. Concerned, he retrieved his legally owned firearm for protection. Moments later, deputies burst through the door and, upon seeing Fortson armed, shot him six times.
The Facetime caller reported hearing Fortson’s last words, “I can’t breathe,” Crump shared. Fortson later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, while the deputy involved was placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has yet to provide full details about the disturbance call that led deputies to Fortson’s apartment complex. They stated that the responding deputies acted in self-defense upon encountering an armed individual. However, Crump and the family are demanding transparency, calling for the release of bodycam footage to clarify the events leading to Fortson’s untimely death.
Fortson, who was part of the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, played a crucial role as a special missions aviator, responsible for operating weaponry on AC-130J Ghostrider aircrews during missions.
Crump, along with Fortson’s family, is set to address the public in a news conference aiming to shed light on this tragic event and seek justice.
