More details are coming out after the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office released access to public records related to the deputy-involved shooting that led to the death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson in early May.
The Sheriff’s office released the new information on Friday from the case— including the 9-1-1 call that brought a deputy to Fortson’s door.
Officials say went to Fortson’s apartment complex, after an employee there said in a 9-1-1 call that a tenant overheard a domestic dispute coming from Fortson’s unit.
"The apartment number's gonna be 1401," the caller said.
The employee gave the dispatcher the apartment number. During the call, the employee also says she has previously heard Fortson verbally assaulting a woman.
“A few weeks ago, I was walking on the sidewalk, close to their apartment, and I was hearing, like, someone like a guy yelling at a girl," the 911 caller said.
Police body camera footage shows Fortson holding a firearm by his side when he opened the door, a deputy quickly yelled for Fortson to "back up," then shot the airman multiple times.
That’s when police say they received a second call from a concerned resident. In the call she also says she could hear people arguing.
“I just heard, like, something that sounded like three or four gunshots and then a bunch of running and screaming," the caller said. "That’s why I'm freaking out.”
NEWS ALERT: The family of Roger Fortson has released a statement after viewing the body cam footage from the deadly shooting. pic.twitter.com/gsKmEoyfaI
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) May 9, 2024
It’s unclear whether Fortson heard the officer announce himself as law enforcement and whether the reported disturbance actually came from Fortson’s unit.
The family’s lawyer, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, says Fortson was on facetime with his girlfriend when the deputy came onto the scene.
The incident remains under investigation.
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**CORRECTION MADE**
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the officer involved in the shooting. As of Thursday, May 30, 2024, the case is still under investigation and the name of the deputy has yet to be revealed.
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