WASHINGTON: The family of Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old active-duty airman who was killed by a Florida Sheriff deputy, released a statement questioning the offending officer’s ability to deal with law-abiding gun owners, reported Sputnik.
“As the officer didn’t tell Roger to drop the weapon before shooting, was the officer trained to give verbal warnings? Did the officer try to initiate life-saving measures? Was the officer trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners?” said Fortson’s family in a statement released by their lawyer, Ben Crump.
Fortson, a senior airman with the US Air Force, died on May 3 in his apartment near the airbase after a deputy from the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Department shot him after entering the wrong apartment while responding to a service call.
The police said the deputy reacted in self-defence after seeing Fortson armed with a gun, reports said.
Crump, a civil rights attorney representing the family, says in the released statement that Fortson was on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend at the time of the encounter. The girlfriend, who remains unidentified, is to hold a press conference in the coming days and is expected to release a portion of the recording, which was taken at the time of the shooting, Crump added.
The statement by Fortson’s family comes in response to viewing bodycam footage released on Thursday, though heavily redacted.
According to a statement by the Okaloosa Sheriff’s office, the offending officer has been placed on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office conduct reviews of the shooting. – Bernama, Sputnik
