Florida has been a trash-a** state for hundreds of years for hundreds of reasons, and today we can add another heartbreaking one to the top of the list.
Source: Hurlburt Field Facebook
According to AP, an inept group of sheriff’s deputies in Fort Walton Beach responded to a call about a disturbance at an apartment complex on May 3, 2024. When they arrived on the scene, they were so jacked up on adrenaline and ready to use force that they kicked in the wrong door and shot 23-year-old Black U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson to death with six rounds.
The report states that Fortson, who was based at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field but was in his off-base apartment, was alone in his home talking to a woman on FaceTime when he heard the disturbance that deputies were responding to.
The woman says Fortson heard a knock at his door but got no response when he asked who it was. Upon hearing a second, much louder knock, Fortson checked the peephole but saw no one outside. AP reports that the woman says he grew concerned and went to retrieve his legally owned firearm. When he walked back into the living room, cops kicked in the door and immediately began firing at the sight of Fortson holding a gun. The witness says he lay on the floor saying, “I can’t breathe” before being transported to a hospital where he died.
What is it with cops not knowing how to read numbers? This case sounds very familiar to the Amber Guyger case and the death of Botham Jean.
Ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump represents Fortson’s family in the ongoing case.
“We urge authorities to immediately stop demonizing Roger in their statements to the media,” said Crump per NewsOne. “It’s imperative to correct the record and acknowledge the wrongful entry into Roger’s home. What we know for sure is that Roger was a dedicated U.S. Airman serving the country and a cherished member of his community. Any attempts to tarnish his character only compound the pain felt by his loved ones.”
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department refused to name the deputies involved or disclose their races publicly but confirmed that at least one deputy has been placed on administrative leave.
Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement and the local State Attorney’s Office are investigating.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
