Florida Sheriff’s Office Releases Bodycam Footage Of Police Killing Member Of Air Force

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s has released bodycam footage of one of its officers shooting and killing a U.S. Air Force Airman.

On Friday, an officer of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office killed airman Roger Forston.

The tragic shooting occurred after an officer arrived at Fortson’s apartment complex after receiving a domestic dispute call.

When the officer arrived, a woman at the apartment complex claimed the domestic dispute was coming from Fortson’s apartment.

When the officer arrived, he knocked on Fortson’s door, and Fortson answered the door while holding his gun pointed down, which resulted in the officer firing six shots at Fortson.

Fortson was home alone at the time and was on FaceTime with his girlfriend, who later told the press that Fortson wasn’t sure who was knocking loudly on the door, which caused him to get his gun.

Here’s the body cam footage:

(Warning: it may contain graphic scenes)

BREAKING: Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office releases bodycam footage of one of its officers shooting and killing U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

Police had responded to a "disturbance" call and knocked on the wrong door.

According to Fortson's girlfriend who was on a… pic.twitter.com/rUq0wiUthv

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 9, 2024

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office releases bodycam footage of one of its officers shooting and killing U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

Police had responded to a “disturbance” call and knocked on the wrong door.

According to Fortson’s girlfriend who was on a FaceTime call with him, Fortson had no clue what was going on when he heard a knock at the door.

Out of caution, he retrieved his gun when he didn’t hear the officer say anything.

When he opened the door, his gun appeared to be facing the ground however the officer shot him anyways.

“Step back!” the officer shouted as he began firing.

Fortson was shot 6 times and was rushed to the hospital where he died.

Rest in peace, Roger.

Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for Roger Fortson’s family said Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/kCIQX5jGiN

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 9, 2024

This is Roger Fortson and his little sister. Roger bought her the flight suit so they could match. These pictures perfectly show her love and admiration for her big brother. A love his WHOLE family shared — still there, but now tainted by the brutal nature of his needless death. pic.twitter.com/Xte82HOksu

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 9, 2024

Per The Associated Press:

The U.S. Air Force said an airman based at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, was shot and killed Friday during an incident involving a sheriff’s deputy.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, died at his off-base residence, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement released Monday.

A deputy responding to the call of a disturbance in progress “reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday.

Fortson was taken to a hospital where he died, officials said. The deputy involved was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident.

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles as a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons during missions.

🚨𝑱𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑰𝑵: A tragic incident unfolded in Florida, where decorated U.S. Air Force Senior Airman, 23-year-old Roger Fortson, was fatally shot by police after they mistakenly barged into the wrong house.

Fortson succumbed to his injuries in a Florida hospital after being shot… pic.twitter.com/SikUPyOIb5

— Liberacrat Media™️ (@Liberacrat_) May 9, 2024

Per NBC News:

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office released police body camera video Thursday showing one of its deputies shooting and killing an Air Force airman at his off-base apartment last week.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot late Friday afternoon by a deputy responding to a call of a disturbance in progress, the sheriff’s office said. Okaloosa County is in the Florida Panhandle, east of Pensacola.

The video, which lasts just more than four minutes, begins as the deputy arrives at Fortson’s apartment complex and ends after Fortson has been shot and the deputy calls for medical assistance.

Earlier Thursday, attorneys for Fortson’s family had called for the sheriff’s office to “correct the narrative” surrounding his death, saying that he had done nothing wrong before being fatally shot and that the deputy had gone to the wrong door.