Air force member killed by police in his own home

In a tragic incident in the United States, police officers mistakenly shot Roger Fortson, a member of the United States Air Force. The error occurred when an officer allegedly confused his apartment, leading to six shots being fired at the 23-year-old airman.

As the AP News agency reported, Roger Fortson was actively serving in the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field in Okaloosa County, Florida. The circumstances leading to this unfortunate event began with police responding to a report of a dispute between a woman and a man. Witnesses stated that at the time, Fortson was engaged in a FaceTime conversation with a woman alone in his apartment. Unaware of the officers at his door, he did not respond to their knocks, as he reportedly did not hear them inquire, “who is there”. When the knocking persisted, he approached to look through the peephole and, seeing no one, decided to arm himself with a legally owned weapon for protection.

The incident has raised significant concerns, particularly whether the officers mistakenly entered the wrong apartment. This theory is supported by Family lawyer Ben Crump, as quoted by military.com, who criticized the law enforcement narrative for falsely suggesting that Fortson posed a threat. "Roger was alone at home and was not causing any disturbances when law enforcement tragically ended his life," stated the lawyer, questioning the consistency of the official account with witness details.

Further scrutiny comes in the light of recent evaluations of the sheriff's office's procedures following an incident where a deputy mistakenly fired at a suspect, mistaking an acorn falling on a vehicle roof for gunfire.