A young, decorated Air Force Senior Airman, Roger Fortson, died Friday afternoon after being shot six times by a deputy from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, the deputy responded to a disturbance call at an apartment complex on Racetrack Road.
The deputy arrived at the scene around 4:30 p.m. and encountered a man armed with a gun. The deputy, after identifying himself as law enforcement, shot Fortson in an act of self-defense, according to the news release.
The Sheriff, Eric Aden, expressed his condolences and placed the deputy on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) conducts an investigation.
However, Fortson’s family argues that the deputy entered the wrong apartment. They claim that the young man was on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend when he heard aggressive knocking on his door. They say that Fortson retrieved his legal firearm and returned to the hallway, only to have the door forced open by the deputy, who then shot him multiple times.
After demands from the family’s attorney, bodycam footage from the incident was released during a news conference on Thursday. In the footage, which is timestamped May 3rd, the deputy can be seen responding to a call for a disturbance at apartment 1401. The footage shows the deputy knocking on the door and identifying himself as a member of the sheriff’s office. Within seconds of the door opening, the deputy fired his weapon, striking Fortson, who was holding a firearm in his hand.
Fortson’s family criticized the deputy for not giving any verbal commands before opening fire and questioned if the officer was trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners. However, Sheriff Aden has publicly defended the deputy’s actions, stating that the bodycam footage clearly shows the officer responding to the correct apartment.
Despite the conflicting claims, the Sheriff’s Office has pledged full cooperation with the FDLE and the State Attorney’s Office as they conduct their investigations. Sheriff Aden has asked the community to remain patient and allow the authorities to establish the facts surrounding this tragic event.
Fortson’s family continues to demand answers and maintains that the police entered the wrong apartment. They have released a portion of the Facetime video that was recorded at the time of the shooting, in which Fortson’s girlfriend can be heard saying that she initially thought the door was forced open by the police.
BREAKING – POLICE EXECUTION: Bodycam footage shows the moment US Airman Roger Fortson is executed in Florida within seconds of opening his door after police barged into the wrong apartment and shot him six times without warning. He legally owned a gun but the cop did not bother… pic.twitter.com/VETFmlnhX4
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) May 9, 2024
As authorities continue to investigate, the community mourns the loss of a young and decorated member of the Air Force. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
