The family of Roger Fortson, the U.S. Airman who was shot and killed by an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy last Friday, is speaking out for the first time.
The Senior Airman's family, along with attorneys Benjamin Crump and Brian Barr, held a press conference Thursday morning, seeking clarity regarding the circumstances surrounding Fortson's death.
"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."
According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department, deputies were responding to a reported disturbance at Fortson’s apartment complex on Friday, May 3. The Sheriff’s office said the 23-year-old was armed and that the deputy said he shot Fortson 'in self-defense.'
Attorney Crump argues the deputy shouldn't have been in Fortson's apartment in the first place. He alleges Fortson didn’t know it was an officer knocking on his door and his family believes the officer was at the wrong home.
“You are free in your home from people using excessive forces, searches, and seizures, of your home," Crump said.
The Sheriff Says It Was The Right Home
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden responded to Crump in a news conference Thursday afternoon. Sheriff Aden said it was the right home. During the press conference, Aden showed body camera footage from the incident.
The video, which lasts just more than four minutes, shows a deputy knocking on Fortson's door and announcing he’s with the sheriff’s office. Toward the end of the video, Fortson opens the door, holding what appears to be a gun that is pointing down.
Warning the below video is graphic.
Bodycam of #RogerFortson fatal police death. In the four-and-a-half minute, heavily redacted video, it is very troubling that the deputy shot multiple times within a split second of the door being opened, killing Roger. pic.twitter.com/ZngLhwsxX8
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 9, 2024
The deputy then fires his weapon, hitting Fortson six times. Fortson, who is blurred in the video, immediately falls to the ground and the deputy yells at him to drop his gun.
"It's over there," Fortson is heard on the video telling the deputy. "I don't have it."
The officer has been placed on administrative leave. Sheriff Aden said Thursday his department is turning the investigation over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
"There are many questions the investigation must answer before we can determine whether the officer’s actions are justified," Aden said during the press conference. "Again, we are committed to transparency and look forward to FDLE and the State Attorney’s reports."