The family of a decorated US Air Force soldier shot and killed by police three months ago suffered another horrific tragedy when another member was killed this week.
Chantemekki “Meka” Fortson’s 16-year-old son, Andre Fortson, was shot and killed Tuesday night shortly before 10 p.m. at an apartment complex in DeKalb County, Georgia, less than 90 days after his eldest son, U.S. Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was mistakenly shot and killed by police.
DeKalb County police said two groups were shooting at each other, according to a preliminary report. The motive is unknown and is still under investigation. Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
The shooter, Quintavious Zellner, 20, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He is being held in the DeKalb County Jail. Authorities said more arrests are expected.
The boy’s heartbroken mother shared that she and her 10-year-old daughter, Harmoni, turned to Andre for support after the death of her son, a U.S. airman, and called her youngest son her “comfort.”
Through tears, she said: “What kind of mother am I that I have to lose two children in a period of 90 days?” The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported.
Through tears, she said: “What kind of mother am I that I have to lose two children in a 90-day period?” Her son Andre Forston, 16 (pictured right), was shot dead on Tuesday night.
Senior Airman Andre Fortson, 23, was shot and killed by police in May.
The grieving mother shared that she and her 10-year-old daughter, Harmoni, turned to Andre (pictured left) for support following the death of her eldest son.
Meka told the outlet that after Roger died, Andre stayed in her bed and held her until she fell asleep.
“He was trying to be strong for me. He was trying to make sure I was okay,” she said.
The teenager was beginning his senior year of high school and planned to enlist in the Air Force after graduation, like his late brother, his mother said.
The Fortson family had recently moved to Stonecrest, an area in DeKalb, Georgia, about 20 miles from the Summit Hill Apartments in the 1500 block of Bouldercrest Road, where the family previously lived.
Recalling the harrowing events, Meka said her son’s friend called her hysterically and said, “You have to come here. Your baby was shot.”
When she arrived, her 16-year-old son was lying on a staircase in the hallway of the apartment building. Emergency medical services and police were on the scene, but told her that her son was missing.
The DeKalb County Police Department said Andre Fortson was found with an apparent gunshot wound. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to Fox 5 News.
Meka and her daughter are now the only surviving members of their close-knit family, torn apart by rampant gun violence in the city.
In part, he said: “This is not normal. I was 16. There has to be a change.”
Chantemekki Fortson, the mother of slain airman Roger Fortson, right, along with her family look over Fortson’s casket as they make their way to a cemetery during his funeral at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, May 17, 2024 in Stonecrest, Georgia.
Last month, the nonprofit Every Town cited Georgia as having the ninth-highest rate of gun violence in the country, with gun-related murders in Georgia at an alarming 47 percent. WSAV News reported.
Over the past decade, gun deaths in Georgia have risen to 25 percent, 8 percent higher than the national average.
On May 3, Airman Roger Fortson was on Facetime at his apartment in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, when he was shot six times by Deputy Eddie Duran of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Police were called to the apartment complex after a neighbor reported hearing someone being slapped. When officers arrived, she told them which apartment the altercation was taking place in.
The woman answered “1401.” The officer confirmed to the woman that she was going to the fourth floor before taking the elevator to Fortson’s off-base residence, an apartment complex at 319 Racetrack Road in Okaloosa County.
Upon reaching the apartment door, the deputy knocked once and then again, saying twice, “Sheriff’s office. Open the door.” When the door opened, the sheriff ordered “stand back” and “don’t move.”
The officer then fired six quick shots causing the young soldier to fall to the ground.
Officer’s body camera footage showing officer-involved fatal shooting of young soldier
The mother posed with her son, who was tragically taken from her.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump stands next to a tearful Chantemekki as she holds a photo of her beloved son.
A witness, who was on FaceTime with Fortson during the time of the shooting, said Fortson heard a knock on the door and asked who was there.
According to the witness, 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 the witness said was legally his.
When he returned to his living room with the gun, authorities allegedly pushed open the 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 shooting. Fortson later died at the hospital.
The officer involved in the incident has since been placed on administrative leave while the investigation into the shooting continues.
The young soldier 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 the mission.
Following the horrific tragedy, the Air Force’s 1st Special Operations Wing said its priorities are to “provide victim care services to the family, support the squadron during this tragic time and ensure resources are available for all those affected.”
Meka said her son’s dream had always been to serve his country and that he wanted to become a pilot.
“It’s amazing. Every day I try to go to bed early so I can wake up like it’s a dream,” he told Military.com.
“He just came back from a deployment, after fighting for us. With everything that’s going on in our country, he’s fighting for us and he came back to be killed, killed in such a violent way.”
“He was my gift and they took it away from me,” Roger’s mother said. “And they didn’t give it back to me. God gave me that gift… and they took it away from me.”
