Bodycam footage released by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office shows one of its police officers knocking on the door of the home of a U.S. Air Force Senior Airman, Roger Fortson, and immediately shooting and killing him as soon as he opened the door.
The fatal incident happened after the police responded to a “disturbance” call went to the wrong address and knocked on the wrong door. Fortson who was said to be on Facetime with his girlfriend at that time, retrieved his gun out of caution when he didn’t hear the officer say anything.
He then opened his door, armed with his gun pointing to the ground. However, the police officer immediately opened fire on him, shooting him 6 times. The Airman was rushed to the hospital where he died.
Watch the full bodycam video below:
Roger Fortson was shot and killed on 3 May at his home, located 5 miles (8km) from the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, where he is based.
The officer who shot him has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation being conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office. However, the Police say he acted out of self-defense because Fortson opened the door armed.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, the deputy “reacted in self-defence after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun and after the deputy had identified himself as law enforcement.”
“I want to assure you that we are not hiding, covering up, or taking any action that would result in a rushed judgment of Mr. Fortson or our deputy”, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said, concerning the transparency of the investigation.
A lawyer for the Fortson family said in a news conference on Thursday that Fortson “was the best America had to offer”.
“He was a patriot. He was a US airman, special ops. He was fighting for our way of life. He was fighting for everybody,” Ben Crump, a family lawyer said of the late Fortson who was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron, according to the US Air Force, and entered active duty in November 2019.
According to Roger Fortson’s friend who was on a call with him when the deputy knocked, the late Airman got no response when he responded to the officer knocking on his door. He checked through the door’s peephole but did not see anybody after he again, heard a second and “very aggressive knock”.
That, she said, prompted him to go for his gun which according to the the lawyer, was legally owned.
He then heard a second, “very aggressive knock” but did not see anyone when he looked through the peephole.
