CNN
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A Florida sheriff released body camera footage of the deputy who shot and killed a black aviator in his home last week, but disputed claims by the victim’s family that the officer went to the wrong apartment.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Eiden showed the video at a news conference Thursday, but shortly afterward, an attorney for the 23-year-old airman’s family said the victim’s girlfriend was FaceTiming him and security He said he believed the official was in the wrong unit and asked for the information to be made public. .
Attorney Ben Crump, who held a news conference early Thursday, said the victim was identified by his family as active duty senior airman Roger Fortson. Crump and Fortson’s mother described Crump and Fortson as patriots who respected authority and wanted their mother and younger brothers to buy a home.
The sheriff, who met with Fortson’s family just before the press conference, said he has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take charge of the criminal investigation if necessary. The investigation is ongoing, but “the jury is still out on whether the deputy’s actions were justified,” he said. The deputy is on administrative leave.
“What we know at this point is that the deputy came forward not once, but twice,” Aden said. “Mr. Fortson’s comments indicate that the doorman identified himself as law enforcement and arrived at the door with a firearm in hand. The deputy knocked on the correct door and blocked the peephole. I didn’t do anything to block the view.”
But Fortson’s family reiterated their belief that authorities went to the wrong door.
In a statement after the incident, Fortson’s family said: “Roger had been on the phone with his girlfriend for a significant amount of time leading up to the shooting, and there was no one else in the apartment, so police claimed they were in the wrong apartment.” We will continue,” he said in a statement. Video release.
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 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.
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.
“It is extremely disturbing that the deputy fired multiple shots within seconds of the door opening, killing Roger, without giving any verbal commands,” Fortson’s family said in a statement after the video was released. said.
“Although the officer did not instruct Roger to drop his weapon before firing, were officers trained to give verbal warnings?” Did the officer attempt to take life-saving measures? The officer “Have they been trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners?” their statement added.
Later Thursday, Crump also released a nearly four-minute FaceTime call in which he said Fortson was with his girlfriend when he was shot.
The video shows what appears to be the ceiling of the apartment, and a man, possibly Fortson, can be heard moaning and saying, “I can’t breathe.” Another man (probably an aide) told him: Stop moving. ”
The deputy can then be heard saying, “Hold on, an ambulance is coming.” Don’t move. ”
Presumably speaking to someone else, the aide said: From the moment I opened his door he had a gun. ” The deputy can be heard yelling, but most of it is inaudible.
Another person can then be heard detailing Fortson’s wounds, saying, “He’s got three gunshot wounds and one way out,” before another voice says, “Oh, he got shot.” “Ta”.
Eventually, someone can be heard saying that Fortson has six gunshot wounds. Fortson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
At a news conference Thursday, Crump and Fortson’s mother described Crump and Fortson as responsible young men and patriots who had long dreamed of serving in the U.S. Air Force. did.
“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.”
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.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was responding “closely” to reports of the shooting.
‘Tell me the truth about my son’: Roger Fortson’s family demands answers after fatal shooting by Florida lawmaker
Crump said the 23-year-old had been home playing video games for about 30 minutes before the shooting.
Crump said Fortson’s girlfriend said Fortson heard two separate knocks on the door and when he couldn’t see anyone through the peephole, he pulled out a gun. Crump said Fortson’s gun was legally owned.
Crump said his girlfriend said law enforcement responded to the wrong apartment and there was no disturbance there at the time. Crump, citing Fortson’s girlfriend, said Fortson was alone at the time.
“(Fortson) was alone in his apartment with his dog on the phone with his girlfriend,” Crump told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday night. “They had the wrong apartment.”
Details of the shooting incident remain unclear, but the incident This mirrors other shootings in recent years in which Black men or women have been killed by police 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 former Fort Worth police officer was sentenced in 2022 to nearly 12 years in prison.
