The mother of a US airman has called for justice after he was killed by an officer in his own home

A mother is mourning her son and demanding justice after he was killed by police officers in Florida.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was at his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, when he was shot by an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy on May 3.

“He tried to show me things that the people who raised me wanted me to see as a child,” Chantemekki Fortson, Roger Fortson’s mother, said during a news conference Thursday. “So to the sheriff’s department who accepted my gift…I need you to tell the truth about my son. If you have a heart, if you have a niece or a nephew, tell the truth about my son.

According to a released statement from the Oklahoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the fatal incident’s deputy responded to a disturbance alarm around 4:30 p.m.

Sheriff Eric Aden of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office played the body camera footage of the deputy who shot Fortson in a press conference following the press conference with Forston’s family. In the video, the deputy can be heard announcing twice that he was at the sheriff’s office. Fortson is then seen opening the door for the deputy with a gun in his hand. The officer shot Fortson within seconds of the door opening. According to the sheriff’s office, Fortson later died from his injuries.

“Hearing sounds of a disturbance, he responded in self-defense after encountering a 23-year-old male armed with a weapon,” the sheriff’s office statement said. “This occurred after the deputy identified himself as a police officer.”

The deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the District Attorney’s Office will conduct their own investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

On Thursday afternoon, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in an on-camera statement that Secretary Austin was following the case closely. “First of all, the minister is following this closely. And I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to Airmen Fortson’s family,” Ryder said. “We are of course saddened by the loss of one of our relatives. I know his death is currently under investigation.”

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump was also present at Thursday’s press conference with Fortson’s family and spoke about Forston’s character.

“He graduated from high school in Atlanta, Georgia,” Crump said. “He dreamed of becoming a pilot. He always wanted to serve in the United States Air Force, and he was living his dream. And in doing that, he wanted to make things better for his mother, his siblings, and his family, so that they could have a better chance at the American dream.”

According to Crump, Fortson was on the phone with his girlfriend when he heard a knock on the door. When he asked who it was, he heard no answer and couldn’t see anything through the peephole. According to Crump, he told his girlfriend that it looked like someone on the other side was covering the whole thing.

Someone aggressively knocked on the door again, so Fortson allegedly retrieved his legal firearm, and when he returned to his front door hallway, officers rammed the door and shot him six times, Crump said.

The FDLE confirmed to ABC News that it is investigating the deputy-involved shooting.

“FDLE use-of-force cases are independent investigative investigations. The findings will be forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office to determine further action,” FDLE said in a statement to ABC News. “As this investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide any further information at this time.”

Neither Fortson’s family nor her attorneys saw the body camera footage before her news conference.

Hulburt Field Air Force Base, where Fortson was stationed, said in a news release about the shooting that Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron and assumed active duty on Nov. 19, 2019.

“The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigative agency in this incident,” Hurlburt Field’s statement said. “To protect the integrity of the investigation, no further information will be released at this time. “The 1st Special Operations Squadron’s priorities are to provide casualty support to the family, support the squadron during this tragic time, and ensure resources are available to all who are affected.”

The district attorney and coroner’s office immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.