Relatives of Roger Fortson say deputies burst into wrong unit and killed Fortson when he reached for gun they say was legally owned
The family of a Black US air force airman who was fatally shot by deputies who burst into his apartment in the Florida Panhandle said Thursday that they want to correct a false narrative put forth by authorities about the encounter that led to his death.
The family of Senior Airman Roger Fortson planned to view body-camera video later in the day. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said Fortson had not known it was sheriff’s deputies who were breaking into his apartment – “his castle” – and that he grabbed his “legally owned firearm” to protect himself.
