Florida deputy shoots, kills Air Force airman after deputies entered wrong apartment: attorneys

A US Air Force airmen was shot and killed last Friday afternoon by an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy responding to a call for a disturbance in progress on a military base, and his attorneys have said the police went to the wrong apartment.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot last Friday afternoon by a deputy responding to a call about a disturbance. When Fortson opened the door, he had a gun at his side but was not pointing it at the officer. Body cam footage of the incident has been released by police. 

Attorneys for Fortson's family have claimed he did nothing wrong before being killed and that the deputy had gone to the wrong apartment. 

At a news conference, Sheriff Eric Aden said no determination had been made as to whether or not the deputy’s actions were justified, saying, “I want to assure you that we are not hiding or covering up or taking action that would result in a rush to judgment of Mr. Fortson or our deputy,” according to NBC news. 

Aden claimed the deputy hadn’t entered the wrong apartment or forced his way into Fortson’s residence, and that the deputy identified himself twice. 

According to Fortson’s mother and her attorneys, his girlfriend, who was on a FaceTime call with him throughout the incident, claimed the deputy entered the wrong unit and fatally shot Fortson when he saw he was armed with a gun. 

The 4-minute video begins as the deputy arrives at Fortson’s apartment complex and ends after he is shot and the deputy calls for medical assistance. 

In the video, the deputy arrived in the complex and was directed to apartment 1401 by a woman who said someone had overheard arguing there. 

The deputy is seen knocking twice and identifies himself as a sheriff saying, “Open the door.” 

When Fortson opened the door, he was holding a gun that was facing downward. 

The deputy instructed him to “Step back,” and then fired his weapon several times. As Fortson fell to the floor, the deputy yelled twice “Drop the gun.” 

The sheriff’s office said in a statement: “Our deputy responded to a call of a disturbance in progress where he encountered an armed man. The deputy shot the man, who later succumbed to his injuries.” 

As required by the department's policy, the deputy was placed on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducts an investigation.