Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was fatally shot at his Okaloosa County, Florida, apartment after law enforcement officials burst into the wrong home, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. A woman who was on a FaceTime call with Fortson at the time of the incident stated that he was alone and there was no disturbance in the apartment, despite law enforcement’s claim that there was a disturbance. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office reported that a deputy responded to a call of a disturbance and encountered an armed man, resulting in the shooting.
The woman on the FaceTime call, whose identity was not revealed by Crump, said that Fortson heard a knock at his door, asked who it was, received no response, and could not see anyone through the peephole. A second, more aggressive knock prompted Fortson to retrieve his legally-owned gun for self-defense. However, as he returned to the living room, law enforcement officers burst through the door and shot him six times upon seeing the gun. The witness claimed that there was no disturbance in the apartment and Fortson was alone at the time of the incident.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the shooting at the request of the sheriff’s department, while the state attorney’s office is conducting an independent review. Sheriff Eric Aden expressed sadness over the fatal officer-involved shooting and asked for community patience as they work to understand the circumstances that led to Fortson’s death. Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, where he had entered active duty in November 2019.
The witness stated that she saw Fortson on the ground after he was shot, saying that he couldn’t breathe. She also confirmed that law enforcement officials were in the wrong apartment at the time of the shooting. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the claim that they were in the wrong apartment. The base where Fortson was assigned, Hurlburt Field, is providing casualty affairs services to his family and offering support to the squadron during this tragic time, according to a statement from the 1st Special Operations Wing.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump emphasized that Fortson was a law-abiding citizen who was simply defending himself when he was shot by law enforcement officers who burst into the wrong apartment. The witness’s account conflicts with the sheriff’s office’s claim of responding to a disturbance at Fortson’s residence. The incident has raised questions about the actions taken by law enforcement and the circumstances that led to Fortson’s death. As investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the state attorney’s office continue, the community is urged to be patient as authorities work to determine the facts surrounding the shooting.
