Air Force airman killed by Florida deputies who were at wrong apartment, attorney says
NBCApr 28
Fla. Police Release Footage of Shooting of US Airman
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Image copyright: Okaloosa County Sheriff's office
The Facts
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden on Thursday released bodycam footage of a sheriff's deputy shooting 23-year-old Roger Fortson, a Black US airman who later died of his injuries.
Previously, police had said that the deputy, who remains unidentified, was responding to a disturbance call in progress and "reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun."
The Spin
Narrative A
This heavily redacted video doesn't answer all the questions that need to be addressed in order for the family to get the full story. Although the sheriff claims the deputy was at the correct apartment, he was acting on fourth-hand information that could've misled him. There's also no explanation for why the deputy didn't issue multiple verbal demands and instead fired several shots.
Narrative B
The deputy was at the correct door and announced himself, which doesn't justify the shooting but also contradicts some of the claims being made by interested outsiders. The sheriff's department will cooperate with any and all independent investigations to make sure the truth about this unfortunate incident is uncovered and these tragedies can be prevented in the future.
