Topline
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Arden on Thursday afternoon called allegations that Roger Fortston, a 23-year-old Black Air Force servicemember, was killed after a deputy entered the wrong apartment “inaccurate,” while releasing body-worn camera footage that appears to counteract claims from civil rights attorney and Fortson family lawyer Ben Crump about the shooting, as questions linger about the deputy’s actions.
Roger Fortson was alone in his apartment when a Florida sheriff’s deputy responded to a ... [+]
Key Facts
An Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave over the weekend after a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in Fort Walton Beach, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday, while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office conduct reviews of the shooting.
The office said the deputy, who has not been named, was investigating a “disturbance in progress when he encountered an armed man,” who was later identified by the U.S. Air Force as Fortson, an airman stationed at Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle.
Deputies were responding to a disturbance between a “male and a female,” which was called in by the apartment complex’s leasing office, the Military Times reported, citing a recording of dispatchers.
However, Crump alleges law enforcement entered the wrong apartment and Fortson was alone at home at the time of the shooting, citing Fortson’s girlfriend, who he says was speaking with Fortson on Facetime when the shooting happened.
In the footage released Thursday afternoon, the deputy arrives at the apartment he was told to go to—but it is still unclear if Fortson was the person a 911 caller heard fighting.
What Happened After Police Arrived At The Apartment?
According to Crump, a witness said Fortson heard a “very aggressive knock” on the door and got no response when asking “who is it?,” and later retrieved his gun—which Crump said was legally owned. Fortson also tried to look through his front door’s peephole, but “it was as if somebody was covering up the peephole so he couldn’t see out of it,” Crump said at a press conference on Thursday. In the footage, the deputy can be seen knocking on the door, before stepping away where he could not be seen from the door’s peephole..The deputy can be heard saying “Sheriff’s Office open the door” twice, and Fortson can be heard saying something inaudible—that the Sheriff’s Office is claiming was him saying “police”—before opening the door to the deputy. The deputy says “step back” before drawing his weapon and firing at Fortson, who appears to have his weapon at his side and not drawn on the officer. Crump’s office, citing the witness, alleged the deputy “burst through the door” and shot Fortson six times in the chest and arm after they saw the airman was armed—this was disputed by the Sheriff’s Office, whose video showed Fortson answered the door. Crump said Fortson’s girlfriend heard three gunshots, then heard the deputy say “drop your weapon” before another round of shots. The video shows the officer fire five rounds at once before saying “drop the gun,” to which Fortson replies “I don’t have it” and “it’s over there,” before cutting out after the deputy calls EMS—it’s unclear if a sixth shot was fired.
Contra
In an original press release Friday, the Sheriff’s Office said the deputy “reacted in self defense” and “identified himself as law enforcement”—but the sheriff’s updated statement on Tuesday did not repeat those claims. At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Arden said the deputy did announce himself and that Crump’s assessment was “inaccurate.” “We are aware of a press release and other comments that falsely state our deputy entered the wrong apartment and imply that they burst through the door into Mr. Fortson’s residence,” Arden said. “What we do know at this time is that the deputy did announce himself—not once, but twice. Mr. Fortson’s comments indicate that he did acknowledge it was law enforcement at the door, and he arrived at the door with a firearm in his hand. The deputy knocked at the correct door, he did not cover the peephole or otherwise obscure its view in any way.” However, it is difficult to hear exactly what Forston said, and the deputy did stand away from the door so that the person inside the apartment could not see who knocked. Arden said that the Fortson family “have my word—if this shooting is found to be unjustified, their son’s name will be fully vindicated, and justice will be served.” Arden did not answer any questions from the media.
Crucial Quote
“The narrative released by law enforcement, which falsely suggests that Roger posed a threat, is deeply troubling and inconsistent with the details: Roger was home alone, causing no disturbance, when his life was tragically cut short by law enforcement,” Crump said in a statement posted on social media.
Surprising Fact
Crump also said other deputies were knocking on other doors in the complex, adding that “they had to know that it was questionable if this was the apartment or not.” That was not seen in the video footage released by the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
Key Background
According to Crump, Fortson “enlisted in the military after graduating from high school with honors and had no criminal record. By all accounts, he was a stellar member of the Air Force and loved by his community.” He was originally from the Atlanta area, and graduated from McNair High School in DeKalb County, Georgia, local station 11Alive reported. Fortson, a senior airman at the time of his death, entered active duty in November 2019 was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron based out of Hurlburt Field. The unit flies Block 30 AC-130J Ghostrider gunships and is currently supporting Operation Inherent Resolve—the Pentagon’s operation to support regional allies after the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Fortson’s mother, Meka Fortson, appeared alongside Crump, clutching a framed photo of her son in his uniform, as well as other members of his family. Crump and Fortson’s mother confirmed that he was also injured while serving a tour of duty in Kuwait.