CBS News

U.S. airman shot and killed by Florida sheriff's deputy

Guardian

Police shoot and kill Black US airman in Florida home

Florida sheriff deputies burst into wrong apartment and fatally shot U.S. airman, attorney says

Air Force airman killed by Florida deputies who were at wrong apartment, attorney says

Roger Forston: Airman fatally shot by Florida deputy in wrong apartment, family attorney says

Forbes

Black Air Force Member Roger Fortson Allegedly Killed After Deputy Entered Wrong Apartment, Lawyer Says: Here’s What We Know

Independent

Florida sheriff releases bodycam of fatal police shooting of Black US airman at home

Florida police on Thursday released bodycam footage of an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy shooting 23-year-old Roger Fortson, a Black US airman who later died of his injuries.

New York Post

An initial statement from police said that the deputy, who remains unidentified, was responding to a call of a disturbance in progress and "reacted in self defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun."

On Thursday, the airman's mother, Chantemekki Fortson, accompanied by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, held a press conference in which they sought to dispute the narrative put forward by police. They asserted that the deputy had gone to the wrong apartment, covered the door’s peephole and did not announce himself.

Eric Aden, the county sheriff, said the bodycam footage of the May 3 incident was released to dispute those assertions. The video shows the deputy twice shouting: "Sheriff’s office! Open the door!" However, he steps aside after banging on the door, seemingly out of view of the peephole.

Once Fortson opened the door while carrying a handgun that was pointed downwards, the deputy is heard shouting "Step back!" before firing off several shots. He then shouts "Drop the gun! Drop the gun!" as Fortson insisted it was no longer in his possession.

After the release of the video, Crump, the lawyer representing the family, released a statement that said the officer did not tell Fortson to drop his gun before shooting and that he shot "multiple times within a split second of the door being opened." It added he remained "adamant" the deputy was at the wrong apartment, stating Fortson had been on the phone with his girlfriend and that no one else was with him.

The deputy was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an official investigation.

This is a tragic incident, one which police would never hope to have happened. Police have reassured the family and the community that no one is seeking to cover anything up and that everything will be looked at carefully. A determination of whether these actions were justified or not will be established by a full investigation.

The video released by police gives some answers, but raises troubling questions as well. Why did the officer not tell Fortson to drop the weapon before shooting? Was the officer trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners? Why did the officer make no attempt at life-saving measures after shooting him?

Florida sheriff's office releases body camera video showing deputy fatally shoot U.S. airman

There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 1.41 small firearms per capita in the USA by 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Footage of Fatal Shooting of US Airman Released by Florida Police

The Spin

Metaculus Prediction

Articles on this story

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters

Footage of Fatal Shooting of US Airman Released by Florida Police

The Spin

Metaculus Prediction

Articles on this story

Sign Up for Our Free NewslettersSign Up for Our Free Newsletters

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters