An Air Force member was shot and killed by police in Florida

SENIOR AIRMAN ROGER FORTSON: Died at his off-base residence, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement Monday. Photo courtesy of MILITARY.COM

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force said an airman from the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, was shot Friday in an incident with a sheriff’s deputy.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, died at his off-base residence, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement released Monday.

An officer responding to a call about a disturbance in progress “responded in self-defense after encountering a 23-year-old male armed with a weapon,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday.

Fortson was taken to a hospital where he died, officials said. The deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident.

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a Special Operations Airman, where one of his duties as a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider crew was to load the attack helicopter’s 30mm and 105mm cannons during missions.

In a statement late Tuesday, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would investigate the incident and the district attorney’s office would conduct an independent review. He said the sheriff’s office was “saddened” by the shooting.

The Air Force’s 1st Special Operations Wing said its priorities are “providing casualty services to the family, supporting the squadron during this tragic time and ensuring resources are available to all affected.”