A tragic incident occurred in Florida where an African-American soldier was fatally shot by a responding police officer. The event has sparked controversy over whether it was an excessive response by the police towards a person of color.
According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, on May 9th (EST), on the afternoon of May 3rd, the police responded to a disturbance at an apartment. During the response, the officers fired at Airman Roger Fortson, who was in the apartment. Fortson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Upon the family’s request, the police released the body-cam footage of the officer involved. In the video, the officer met with the caller in front of the apartment complex, correctly identified the apartment number provided, and knocked twice, announcing his presence as a sheriff. Shortly after, the front door of the apartment opened, and Fortson appeared. He was holding a handgun in his right hand, which was pointed down towards the floor. However, the officer immediately fired multiple shots at Fortson, who fell backward.
According to CNN and NBC, Fortson’s family claims that he had been playing video games at home for about 30 minutes before the incident and had not been causing any disturbance. The family also explained that Fortson was video-chatting with his girlfriend at the time, and she witnessed the situation through her cell phone camera. Regarding the fact that he was holding a gun, the family stated that Fortson heard two knocks at the front door from outside when the police arrived. When he looked through the door’s peephole and saw no one, he picked up his legally owned gun for personal safety before opening the door.