Crime
Body camera footage shows the fatal shooting of a black airman by a Florida deputy in an apartment doorway
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) – A Florida sheriff on Thursday released body camera footage showing a deputy standing outside an apartment door and shooting immediately after it was opened by a black man carrying a gun pointing downward, in what a family called “unjustified ” .”
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden released the video hours after the family of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson and his lawyers held a news conference in which they denied that the deputy general had acted in self-defense. Aden rejected claims by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Fortson’s family, that the deputy went to the unsuitable apartment, covered the peephole on the door and didn’t report himself.
The video shows a police deputy arriving at a Fort Walton Beach apartment constructing on May 3 and talking to a woman outside who described hearing someone arguing. The deputy then took the elevator and walked through the outside hallway.
The video shows a police deputy banging on the door and moving to the side, seemingly out of sight of the door. He shouted twice, “Sheriff’s office! Open the door!”
Fortson opened the door and may very well be seen holding what gave the impression to be a gun pointed toward the floor. The deputy shouted, “Stand back!” and fired shots. He then shouted, “Drop your weapon! Drop the weapon!”
“It’s there,” Fortson said.
“Drop the weapon!” – the deputy shouted back.
“I don’t have it,” Fortson said as he lay on the ground.
The deputy then radioed for paramedics.
The sheriff’s office declined to supply details about the responding deputy or his race. The deputy has been placed on administrative leave pending the end result of the investigation.
Crump later released a statement noting that the officer didn’t tell Fortson to drop his gun before he fired “several times within a split second of opening the door.”
“We have consistently maintained that police mistook the apartment because Roger had been on the phone with his girlfriend for a significant portion of the time leading up to the shooting and no one else was in the apartment,” the statement read.
Crump also previously told reporters that Fortson was talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime and grabbed his gun because he heard someone leaving his apartment. He said the deputy forced entry into the apartment, citing the report of the girl, who has not yet been identified.
“The girl admits that although she initially thought the police had broken down the door, she stands by her emotional memories of what happened,” Crump’s later statement read.
In a FaceTime video captured on Fortson’s cellphone, the airman could be heard groaning and saying, “I can’t breathe.” The deputy could be heard yelling at him, “Stop moving!” The phone is pointed towards the ceiling and doesn’t show what is occurring in the apartment.
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Aden said he met with the family on Thursday and expressed his sincerest condolences.
“This is the result we can never hope to achieve,” Aden said. “These investigations take time, but I want to assure you that we are not hiding anything or trying to cover up.”
Officials said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the matter. FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency was unlikely to supply any further comments until the investigation was accomplished.
The sheriff said the investigation is being treated as a criminal investigation and that no decision has yet been made on whether the deputy’s actions were justified or not. However, an initial release from the sheriff’s office describing the shooting said the deputy “reacted in self-defense after encountering a 23-year-old man armed with a gun.”
Fortson’s mother, Chantemekki Fortson, walked into the morning news conference, with Crump holding a framed portrait of her son in his dress uniform. She burst into tears as Crump spoke about her son’s death.
“My baby was shot,” she said.
Crump called the shooting a “justifiable homicide.”
“For some reason they thought he was a bad guy, but he was a good guy. He was a great guy. He was a special guy,” Crump said. “They took our patriot away.”
Crump said Fortson, an Atlanta native, was shot six times.
Crump said Fortson enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from highschool. He was stationed in the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field. As a special mission aviator, one of his roles was to load the gunship’s guns during missions.
Crump, based in Tallahassee, Florida, has been involved in multiple high-profile cases of fatal encounters between black people and law enforcement and vigilantes, including Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Tir Nichols, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who also died in her own residence during a police raid no knock that targeted her ex-boyfriend in 2020.
Fortson’s death bears striking similarities to the deaths of other Black people killed by police in their homes in recent years.
In 2018, a white Dallas police officer shot and killed unarmed Botham Jean after mistaking his apartment for his own. Former officer Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder.
In 2019, a white officer in Fort Worth, Texas, fatally shot Atatiana Jefferson through the rear window of her home after responding to a non-emergency call reporting that Jefferson’s front door was open. Aaron Dean, a former officer, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to almost 12 years in prison.
In each cases, Crump represented the families as part of his efforts to force accountability for police killings of black people.
Crime
Family of Texas Teen, accused of a deadly stab of another teenager on the track, collected over $ 150,000 via the online fundraiser
The collection of money for a teenager accused of a deadly stabbing of another teenager during a meeting at the Texas track last week has almost USD 200,000.
Launched by the family of Carmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old from Texas, who’s accused of stabbing Austin Metcalf, also 17, during an intensive meeting between them, Dajndo Fundraiser reached USD 160,000 from Monday morning.
According to Anthony’s lawyer, Deric Walpole, his client demands self -defense on this matter. Talking with NBC Dallas-Fort Worth On Friday, other than the prison, wherein Anthony was detained, Walpole said: “I know that my client said it was a self -defense. I have no reason not to believe it, but I have to develop facts, talk to people and find out what is happening before I made some statements about what I think.”
He added: “I have no reason to think that it was not a self -defense at the moment.”
On Wednesday, April 2, around 10 am local time, it’s claimed that Anthony stabbed Metcalf after Metcalf asked to depart a specific area during the rain delay at a sports event at the Kuykeyndall stadium in Frisco, in accordance with the NBC Dalls-Fort value. Anthony, a competitor in a competitive team, apparently sat under the tent of the Metcalf team to avoid rainfall when Metcalf asked him to depart. When Anthony didn’t follow Metcalf in order that he wouldn’t touch him, allegedly Metcalf caught Anthony’s arm, leaning Anthony, using a knife from a backpack to stab Metcalf in his chest from escaping.
Metcalf suffered a stinging wound in his heart and was recognized as deceased at the scene of the incident, despite the attempts to save lots of his twin brother.
“I put my hand on (his chest), tried to stop (bleeding), grabbed his head and looked into his eyes. I just saw his soul. And this also took my soul,” said Twin Hunter Metcalfa Fox News.
Anthony was arrested and accused of killing the first degree, and is currently being detained in the Collin County prison for a bond of USD 1,000,000, which his lawyer is trying to cut back. He hopes to interrogate bonds this week.
Teenager Apparently he said the police“It is not alleged, I did it” that he was lively in self -defense and asked if Metcalf can be tremendous. Anthony’s father said The New York Post That his son was “provoked”.
“He was not an aggressor. He was not the one who started him,” said Andrew Anthony, adding: “Everyone has already adopted their assumptions about my son, but he is not what they make him.”
He explained that his son was a “good child” who works two works and maintains 3.7 GPs.
“I feel sorry for other parents and family, and words cannot explain how both (families) affected this tragedy,” he noted.
The online collection of money causes “false” narratives circulating after the consequence.
“The widespread narrative is false, unfair and harmful. As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all your support in this difficult period. Your prayers and help mean more for us than ever,” we read a fundraiser.
Collecting money on Gofundme In the case of family costs and Metcalf’s funeral, they brought 95% of their goal.
(Tagstransate) news
Richmond, Virginia – June 12: photo of George Floyd expected to the statue of confederate general Robert Lee on June 12, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Last week, the governor of Virginia Ralph Northam ordered the removal of Lee’s general statue as soon as possible, but court proceedings temporarily stopped these plans. Protests proceed in cities across the country after the death of George Floyd, who died in police detention in Minneapolis on May 25. (Photo eze amos/getty images)
Giving police departments equipment to military class does not reduce crime or increase safety based on two independent research. Studies appear in the course of the ongoing conversation concerning the importance of “rejecting the police” as a method.
IN “Police demilitarization and brutal crime“, Kenneth Lwande, a professor on the University of Michigan, questioned the claim that the military weapon exchange program reduced the crime rate, assaulting police officers and the variety of complaints towards police officers.
Finding problems in previously published data Lwande focused on the information available after ordering the Obama administration from 2015, required to demlate local police agencies. Answering public indignation after exposing the militarized police in Ferguson, Obama’s administration Forbade some Sales of military equipment to the police as a part of the controversial program 1033. Trump’s administration reversed this policy in 2017.
IN interview In the case of ABC, Lwande explained that earlier research found that the transfer of military equipment to police plots served as deterrent. But from his evaluation, evidence does not confirm such conclusions. “It’s just not an accurate record,” said Lwande. “[Prior studies] They clearly suggested that by transferring military police equipment, he would stop criminals from committing crimes. “
Published in the character of human behavior, London magazine, research emphasizes the reaper of Trump’s administration on potentially “unbelievable” data when making decisions about withdrawing restrictions from Obama’s time. After assessing previous research, Lipowde found that publicly published data utilized in previous studies were filled with inaccuracies. Earlier evaluation did not control the equipment that was transferred between agencies, unused or otherwise inoperable. In addition, Lwande did not find any evidence that the demilitarizing law enforcement authorities led to an increase in crime.
Program 1033, managed by the Defense Logistics Agency, is one in every of several ways through which law enforcement authorities acquire military assessment equipment. Established in 1997 as a part of the Act on authorization for national defense, is estimated Program 1033 has transferred over $ 7 billion in military equipment into $ 8,000 across the country. The program was originally created for the forces of “counteracting terrorism”, but later prolonged to cover all of the activities of law enforcement agencies.
Covering with the national uprisings this summer, several members of the Chamber introduced laws to eliminate the 1033 program in June. The Black Lives movement also published Act Breathe Act, a comprehensive legislative proposal, including financing specific politicians and the abolition of the police. Section I of the proposed respiratory act requires the opening of the 1033 program in its entirety.
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