Family of Black U.S. airman seeks answers after fatal shooting by Florida deputy

Roger Fortson, a U.S. airman who was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy earlier this month, will be laid to rest on Friday in Atlanta. The service, at 11 a.m. ET, will be streamed online for the public.

But, for the family of the 23-year-old slain senior airman, who was Black, many questions surrounding his death remain unanswered.

In an interview with NPR, Fortson's mother, Chantimekki Fortson and an attorney for the family, Brian Barr, questioned the deputy's training and demanded more transparency around the case.

"He served his family, he served the country, served his friends," Barr said. "And it's just such a tragedy, from all angles that — living this life of service doing what he was told to do — he was killed because he opened the door," Barr said.

The deputy who shot Fortson claims it was in self-defense

Fortson was shot and killed on May 3 during an incident involving the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Eric Aden said the deputy reacted in self-defense after encountering an armed man.

An investigation led by Florida's Department of Law Enforcement is ongoing. The state attorney's office will determine if any further action is taken.

That afternoon, the sheriff's office sent deputies to Fortson's apartment in response to a disturbance call. Fortson was alone in his apartment, save for his small dog, and was FaceTiming with his girlfriend when the deputy approached his door, according to his family's lawyers.

In body cam footage of the incident, a deputy is seen knocking on the door and announcing himself as law enforcement. Fortson then appears while holding a gun pointed toward the ground. The deputy immediately fires multiple times. Fortson later died in the hospital.

The deputy — whose name has not been released — was put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation and administrative review, which is standard protocol by the sheriff's department.

Family lawyers say the deputy went to the wrong apartment

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who's also representing Fortson's family, said the airman didn't hear the deputy announce himself and grabbed his gun for his own protection.

He's also said that the deputy was never meant to go to Fortson's apartment to begin with. There was a complaint regarding an apartment, but it was not Fortson's, said Barr.

According to a recording Crump played during a press conference on Thursday, a police dispatch officer is heard saying that the disturbance involved "a male and a female," information he said came via a fourth-party from the front desk of the apartment complex.

"When you make a mistake, you own up to it," Crump said. "You don't try to justify killing a good guy. The Okaloosa Sheriff's Department needs to own up to this. Tell the truth."

In response, OCSO Sheriff Aden said his office is committed to transparency and accountability.

"There are many questions the investigation must answer before we can determine whether the officer's actions are justified," Sheriff Aden said during a news conference.

Crump said the roughly four-and-a-half-minute body cam video released provides some answers but raises "even more troubling questions."

"As the officer didn't tell Roger to drop the weapon before shooting, was the officer trained to give verbal warnings? Did the officer try to initiate life-saving measures? Was the officer trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners?" he wrote on X.

"They took my gift"

Fortson's mother Chantimekki says her son had "the sweetest soul ever," and described him as "her gift."

Chantimekki says her son's death has deeply affected her family in many ways — including, she says, how his nieces and nephews now react to the presence of police.

"When my grandkids see the police, they literally start vomiting," she said. "I've taught them to respect the police because of the chaos that goes on and the fact that they get sick to their stomach, it's crazy."

Now, she says, she is seeking justice for her son's death. To her, justice looks like getting the truth from the deputies about what happened — and an apology.

"I need them to know that they took my gift," she said. "We don't even know how to deal with this type of pain. I need them to just own up to the truth and get justice for my gift." [Copyright 2024 NPR]