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Funeral service for Roger Fortson, the black U.S. Air Force member who was killed in his home by a Florida deputy

Theo

A funeral will be held Friday for a black senior U.S. Air Force airman who was shot to death by a sheriff’s deputy in his Florida home, a day after the decorated service member’s mother vowed to seek justice for her son during an emotional news conference gain.

Roger Fortson’s service is scheduled to take place at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest. He grew up in the area before joining the Air Force. The 23-year-old was a senior airman serving in combat zones overseas and stationed at Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle when he was shot by a sheriff’s deputy responding to a domestic violence call.

During a news conference Thursday, an attorney for Fortson’s family pointed to police radio and body camera footage that he said showed the deputy went to the wrong apartment.

The airman’s mother, Meka Fortson, spoke enthusiastically about how her son was always on a positive path and never got into trouble or showed any signs of violence.

“Roger was easy. There was not a stain on his name. He will not rest in the darkness because he was light,” she said during the press conference.

She also had a message for Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden: “You will give me justice whether you want it, Sheriff Aden, or not,” she said.

The deputy, whose name was not released, shot Fortson six times on May 3, shortly after he responded to the deputy’s knock and opened the door to his apartment while holding a handgun pointed at the floor.

Sheriff’s officials say the deputy acted in self-defense while responding to a call about a possible domestic disturbance at the apartment complex.

The Fortson family and their attorney Ben Crump argue that the shooting was completely unjustified. Roger Fortson was home alone with his girlfriend at the time of FaceTiming and the deputy went to the wrong unit.

A steady stream of mourners attended Fortson’s memorial service Thursday, including some who did not know the family. Among them was Conseulla Childs of nearby Lithonia, who said she hated to see such young people lose their lives.

“I can only imagine that call being made saying you need to bury your child and send them home early,” she said. “It’s just heartbreaking to ever get news like that, so I just wanted to come over and pay my respects.”

Charles Dorsey, from nearby Decatur, arrived wearing a hat that read “US AIR FORCE VIETNAM VET.”

“I was watching the news and saw what was happening… and it reminded me of when I was in the Air Force. In fact, he had the same rank as me when I was in the Air Force,” Dorsey said. “I wanted to put my Air Force hat on and show my respect to the family.”

Police radio traffic heard at Thursday’s news conference supports the family’s claim that the deputy may have gone to the wrong apartment. In the recording, a dispatcher said that all he knew about the location of the incident was “information from four parties.”

“Uh, I don’t have anything else except a man and a woman,” the dispatcher told the officers. “This is all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office.”

Crump also highlighted two portions of the deputy’s bodycam video in which the deputy asked a woman who was leading him through the complex, “Which door?” The woman replied, “Um… I’m not sure.” Seconds later She told the officer that she had heard a disturbance two weeks earlier, but “I wasn’t sure where it was coming from.”

Body camera video shows the deputy arriving at an apartment building in Fort Walton Beach and speaking to a woman outside who described hearing an argument. The deputy then climbed an elevator and walked down an outside hallway.

The video shows the deputy knock on the door and step to the side, seemingly out of sight of the door. Twice he shouted, “Sheriff’s Office! Open the door!”

Fortson, who legally owned a firearm, opened the door while pointing a handgun at the floor. The deputy shouted, “Stand back!” and then shot Fortson six times. Only then did he shout: “Drop the gun! Drop the gun!” The deputy then radioed the paramedics.

Fortson spoke to his girlfriend on FaceTime and grabbed his gun because he heard someone outside his apartment, Crump said. The deputy then stormed into the apartment, he said, citing the report from the girlfriend, who has not yet been identified.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating and the deputy has been placed on administrative leave. Two weeks after the shooting, the sheriff has yet to release an incident report, 911 recordings or the officer’s identity, despite requesting that information under Florida’s Open Records Act.

The case is one of many across the country in which black people have been shot dead in their homes by police.

Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, said the family will not allow the case to be forgotten or hidden.

“We have to hold them accountable. If we don’t do it, they won’t do anything,” he said.

A sort of shrine has emerged in front of Fortson’s apartment, where people have left combat boots, bouquets of flowers and an American flag, among other things.

Fortson was stationed at Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was a gunner aboard the AC-130J and received an Air Combat Equipment Medal, which is normally awarded after 20 flights in a combat zone or for outstanding gallantry or performance in a single mission.

He was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special operations pilot, where one of his duties was to load the attack helicopter’s 30mm and 105mm cannons.

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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida.

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