Lawyer for family of slain U.S. Air Force airman says videos, phone calls show deputy went to wrong house

STONECREST, Ga. (AP) — An attorney for Roger Fortson’s family said Thursday that body camera footage from the Florida sheriff’s deputy who killed the Black U.S. Air Force airman and police radio traffic shortly after The shooting reinforces his claim that the deputy was directed to the wrong apartment while responding to a domestic disturbance call that day.

In police radio traffic that attorney Ben Crump broadcast at a news conference surrounded by Fortson’s family, a dispatcher says all he knows about the location of the disturbance is “third-party information.”

“Uh, there’s nothing left but man and woman,” the dispatcher tells the officers. “It’s all third-party information from the leasing office front desk.”

Crump also highlighted two parts of the body camera video in which the deputy asks the woman leading him through the complex: “Which door?” The woman responds: “Um… I’m not sure.” Seconds later, the woman tells the officer that she heard a disturbance two weeks ago, but “I wasn’t sure where it came from.”

Fortson, 23, was shot on May 3 by a Okaloosa County Deputy Sheriff at the door of his apartment. Sheriff’s officials say the deputy acted in self-defense when responding to a call about a disturbance in progress at the apartment complex. Crump and Fortson’s family say the deputy went to the wrong unit and that the shooting was unjustified.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating and the deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave. Nearly two weeks after the shooting, the sheriff has not yet released an incident report, any 911 records or the identity of the officer, despite requests for information under Florida’s open records law.

A a kind of sanctuary emerged outside Fortson’s apartment, including an open Stella Artois beer, combat boots, bouquets of flowers and an American flag.

The press conference was held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest. It would be followed by a wake in nearby Decatur. Fortson’s funeral will be held in New Birth on Friday.

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

The video shows the officer knocking on the door and walking away, apparently out of sight. He shouted twice, “Sheriff’s office! Open the door!”

Fortson, who legally owned a firearm, opened the door and could be seen holding what appeared to be a gun pointed at the ground. The deputy shouted, “Stand back!” and then shot Fortson six times. Only then did he shout: “Drop the gun! Drop the weapon!”

The deputy then radioed paramedics. The case is among many across the country in which black people were shot in their homes by law enforcement personnel.

Crump previously said Fortson was talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime and that he grabbed his gun because he heard someone outside his apartment. He said the deputy broke into the apartment citing a report from his girlfriend, who has not yet been identified.

In a clip of the FaceTime video captured by Fortson’s cellphone, the airman can be heard moaning and saying, “I can’t breathe.” A deputy can be heard yelling at him, “Stop moving!” The phone is pointed at the ceiling and does not show what is happening in the apartment.

Fortson, a senior airman, was stationed at Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was a gunner aboard the AC-130J and won an Air Medal with combat device, which is typically awarded after 20 flights in a combat zone or for outstanding valor or achievement in a single mission.

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions airman, where one of his duties was to carry the helicopter’s 30mm and 105mm cannons.

His family said he adored his 10-year-old sister and was determined to provide a better life for her and their mother, hoping to eventually buy her a house.

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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida.

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This story has been updated to correct that the press conference would be Thursday, not Friday.