- U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, died in the hospital Friday night.
- One woman said she witnessed his murder at the hands of police while they were on FaceTime.
- She told how the police knocked on the wrong door before bursting in and shooting her.
An airman died in his home after police allegedly forced their way into the wrong apartment and shot him while his horrified friend watched on FaceTime.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was identified as the young man shot dead in a shooting last Friday afternoon.
It took place at Fortson’s off-base residence, an apartment complex at 319 Racetrack Road in Okaloosa County, Florida.
An Okaloosa County deputy was responding to a report of a disturbance and “reacted in self-defense after encountering a 23-year-old man armed with a gun,” police say.
A witness, who was on FaceTime with Fortson during the time of the shooting, stated that Fortson heard a knock on the door and asked who was there.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was identified as the young man shot dead in a shooting last Friday afternoon.
The black airman (pictured) was killed in his Florida apartment after police burst into the wrong apartment and shot him while his horrified friend watched on FaceTime.
When he received no response but heard another “very aggressive bang,” Fortson looked through the peephole but saw no one and became concerned.
Concerned, Fortson retrieved a gun, which he legally owned, according to the witness.
When he returned to his living room with the gun, authorities allegedly pushed open his door and shot him six times.
The traumatized witness, who remained on the FaceTime call during the horrific shooting, recalled Fortson saying “I can’t breathe” after the shots were fired. Fortson later died at the hospital.
The officer involved in the incident has since been placed on administrative leave while the shooting continues to be investigated.
The 23-year-old was stationed at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He entered active duty on November 19, 2019.
He was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his duties as a crew member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons during missions.
The horrific incident took place at Fortson’s off-base residence, an apartment complex at 319 Racetrack Road in Okaloosa County, Florida.
Fortson (pictured left) was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator after entering active duty on Nov. 19, 2019.
The Air Force’s 1st Special Operations Wing said its priorities are to “provide victim affairs service to the family, support the squadron during this tragic time and ensure resources are available for all those affected.”
A similar incident occurred at the same sheriff’s office in November, in which the deputy shot an unarmed and handcuffed man after he mistook the sound of a falling acorn for a gunshot, according to The Washington Post.
The Washington Post’s database of fatal police shootings from 2015 to April of this year found that police killed the highest number of people on record in 2023.
Black Americans die at the hands of police at more than twice the rate of white Americans.
