The family of a 23-year-old Black U.S. Air Force airman who was fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies at his apartment outside the base in Florida last week will join civil rights attorney Ben Crump for a news conference on Thursday. They are seeking transparency in the investigation.
Crump, in a statement issued on Wednesday, explained that deputies from Okaloosa County responded to a disturbance call at the Fort Walton Beach apartment complex. They mistakenly entered the wrong unit and fatally shot Senior Airman Roger Fortson upon seeing he was armed with a gun.
The sheriff’s office has not yet identified the deputies involved or their racial backgrounds.
Ben Crump speaks in the Audubon Ballroom (Via David Starc/Shutterstock)
Authorities have announced that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the local State Attorney’s Office will conduct the investigation into the shooting.
Fortson was stationed at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field.
According to Crump, Fortson was alone at home and talking to a friend on FaceTime when the deputies arrived.
Based on the account provided by the unnamed woman, Crump stated that Fortson heard a knock at the door and asked who was there, receiving no answer. A few minutes later, he heard a louder knock but did not see anyone when he looked through the peephole.
