CNN
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A Florida sheriff’s office released body camera footage of the deputy who shot and killed a black aviator in his home last week, disputing claims by the victim’s family that the deputy went to the wrong apartment.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Eiden showed the video at a news conference Thursday, shortly after an attorney for the 23-year-old Airman’s family asked for its release.
Attorney Ben Crump said the victim, identified by his family as active duty Senior Airman Roger Fortson, said at a news conference Thursday that the family plans to view body camera video early this afternoon. said.
Crump said witnesses believed the deputy was in the wrong apartment and had asked for the body camera footage to be released to the public.
“The circumstances surrounding Roger’s death raise serious questions that demand immediate answers from authorities, especially in light of the alarming witness testimony that police entered the wrong apartment,” Crump said in a statement, adding that Ft. He cited the account of the person who was on FaceTime with Son. Shooting time.
But the sheriff disputed that claim. CNN has reached out to Crump for comment.
“Those statements are inaccurate,” Aden said. “What we know at this point is that the deputy came forward not once, but twice. Mr. Fortson’s comments were made to acknowledge that the person at the door was law enforcement, and that he had a firearm in his hand. The deputy knocked on the correct door and did nothing to block the peephole or obstruct the view.
The sheriff said he has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to handle the criminal investigation if necessary.
“This is a criminal investigation, but the jury is still out on whether the deputy’s actions were justified,” Aden said.
What body camera footage shows
Aden said in an earlier statement that deputies responded to the apartment last Friday after receiving a report of a “disturbance in progress.”
“After hearing a commotion, (deputies) encountered a 23-year-old man with a gun, and after the deputy identified himself as a law enforcement officer, he responded in self-defense,” the sheriff’s office said. Stated.
“The deputy shot the man, who later succumbed to his injuries,” the sheriff’s office said. The deputy involved in the shooting has not been identified by authorities. The deputy has been placed on administrative leave, the sheriff said.
The body camera footage, dated May 3, begins with officers arriving at what appears to be an apartment complex around 4:28 p.m.
A woman at the complex was heard telling a deputy that there was a disturbance in Apartment 1401 and that it had “got out of hand.”
The same woman added that she had previously heard screaming and “slaps” as she passed by her apartment, but had no idea where it came from.
The deputy took the elevator to the fourth floor and knocked on the door three times. The apartment number “1401” is visible in the video. He announces twice, “Sheriff’s Office, please open the door.” Nothing can be heard on the footage from inside the apartment.
Within seconds of the apartment door opening, the deputy was seen saying “stand back” and then firing his gun. Mr. Fortson is seen standing in front of the door with his hands lowered and what appears to be a firearm in his right hand. His deputy opened fire and he immediately fell to the floor. At least five gunshots can be heard.
While Fortson was sitting on the floor, the deputy yelled twice to “put the gun down.” Fortson can be heard saying, “It’s over there,” and then he can be heard saying, “I don’t have it.”
The deputy continued to point the weapon at Fortson and told him not to move as Fortson remained seated on the floor. The deputy continued to point his weapon at Fortson while calling for EMS.
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Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Eiden speaks during a press conference on May 9, 2024 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Fortson is described as a patriotic and responsible young man.
At a news conference Thursday, Crump and Fortson’s mother described Trump as a patriot who had long dreamed of serving in the U.S. Air Force. Sources said he was a responsible young man who respected authority and wanted to buy a house for his mother and younger brothers.
They said the story presented so far suggests Fortson did something wrong and called on law enforcement to release more information about the shooting.
“I want the sheriff who accepted my gift…to tell the truth about my son. I want him to do justice to his reputation,” Fortson’s mother said.
“I know my son didn’t do anything to you guys. I’m sorry if he scared you or if you guys didn’t have the proper training,” she said. Ta. “But please tarnish my baby’s reputation.”
Crump said at a news conference Thursday that the FaceTime caller was Fortson’s girlfriend, and that the 23-year-old had been home playing video games for about 30 minutes before the shooting. he told reporters.
According to Crump’s news release, Fortson heard two separate knocks on the door and when no one was visible through the peephole, Fortson retrieved the legally owned gun. the witness said. The deputy then allegedly burst into the apartment and shot and killed Fortson.
Witnesses said law enforcement responded to the wrong apartment, and there was no disturbance there at the time, Crump said in a news release. Crump said witnesses told him Fortson was alone at the time.
Officials told police Fortson had been shot six times and had multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, one of which was an exit wound, according to a dispatch report obtained by CNN affiliate WEAR.
WEAR reported that officers could be heard saying on the dispatch call that there was “a disturbance…physical in progress.”
Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
Roger Fortson’s mother holds up a photo alongside family attorney Ben Crump (right) at a news conference about his death Thursday in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Fortson entered active duty in November 2019 and was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron, and the shooting occurred at an off-base airman’s residence, the Air Force said in a statement.
“The 1st Special Operations Wing’s priorities are to provide casualty response services to families, support the squadron during this tragic time, and ensure resources are available to all affected. That’s true.” Statement by Hurlburt Field.
Details of the shooting remain murky, but the claim that Okaloosa’s deputy responded to the wrong apartment echoes other shootings in recent years in which Black men or women have been killed by law enforcement in their own homes.
In 2019, a former Dallas police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison after fatally shooting Botham Jean in his apartment the year before. The officer, who was off-duty but in uniform, lived downstairs from Jean’s apartment and approached what he thought was his apartment when he saw Jean inside.
That same year, Atatiana Jefferson was shot and killed through her bedroom window by a Fort Worth police officer responding to a suspected robbery.
A police officer testified at trial that Mr. Jefferson pointed the gun at him, but prosecutors argued there was no evidence he saw the gun before he fired. A former Fort Worth police officer was sentenced in 2022 to nearly 12 years in prison.
