Funeral arrangements for Roger Fortson, a black member of the United States Air Force murdered in his home by a Florida deputy

STONECREST, Ga. (AP) – A funeral will likely be held Friday for a Black U.S. Air Force senior airman who was shot and killed in his Florida home by a sheriff’s deputy, a day after the decorated soldier’s mother married in an emotional news conference to hunt justice for her son.

Roger Fortson’s service will likely be held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Stonecrest. He grew up in the area before joining the Air Force. The 23-year-old was a senior airman who had served in overseas combat zones and was stationed at Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle when he was shot and killed by a police deputy responding to a domestic violence call.

During Thursday’s news conference, an attorney for Fortson’s family pointed to police radio and body camera footage that he said showed the deputy went to the incorrect apartment.

The airman’s mother, Meka Fortson, spoke enthusiastically about how her son was all the time on target, never in trouble or showing signs of violence.

“Roger was light. There was no stain on his name. He won’t be buried in darkness because he was light,” she said during a press conference.

She also had a message for Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden: “You’re going to give me justice whether you want it or not, Sheriff Aden,” she said.

The deputy, whose name has not been released, shot Fortson six times on May 3 inside moments of Fortson responding to a knock and opening the door to his apartment while holding a gun pointed at the ground.

Sheriff’s officials say a sheriff’s deputy acted in self-defense when responding to a call about a possible domestic disturbance occurring at an apartment complex.

The Fortson family and their attorney, Ben Crump, argue that the shooting was completely unjustified, claiming that Roger Fortson was home alone with his girlfriend at the time via FaceTiming and that the deputy went to the incorrect unit.

Aden denied allegations that the deputy went to the incorrect apartment, claiming at a May 9 news conference that he was aware of comments that “falsely state that our deputy went to the wrong apartment.”

Two weeks after the shooting, the sheriff has yet to release the incident report, any 911 records or the officer’s identity, despite requests for information under Florida’s Open Records Act.

A gradual stream of mourners attended Thursday’s wake at Fortson, including some who didn’t know the family. Among them was Conseulla Childs from nearby Lithuania, who said she hated to see such young people lose their lives.

“I can only imagine getting the call saying you need to bury your child and get him home by the scheduled time,” she said. “It’s just heartbreaking to hear news like this, so I just wanted to come and pay my respects.”

Charles Dorsey, from nearby Decatur, arrived wearing a hat that read “U.S. Air Force Vietnam Veteran.”

“I was looking at the news and saw what happened… and it reminded me of when I was in the Air Force. In fact, he had the same rank as me when I was in the Air Force,” Dorsey said. “I wanted to put on my Air Force hat and show respect to the family.”

Featured Stories

Radio transmissions from police during Thursday’s news conference support the family’s claim that the deputy can have gone to the incorrect apartment. In the recording, the dispatcher said the only thing they knew about the disturbance was “third-party information.”

“Uh, I don’t have anything other than a male and a female,” the dispatcher told officers. “This is all third-party information from the front desk of the rental office.”

Crump also pointed to 2 excerpts from the deputy’s bodycam video in which the deputy asks a woman leading him around the complex, “Which door?” The woman replied, “Hmm… I’m not sure.” Seconds later, she told the deputy that she had heard the static two weeks earlier but “wasn’t sure where it was coming from.”

Bodycam video shows the deputy arriving at a Fort Walton Beach apartment complex and talking to a woman outside who described hearing an argument. 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, who was legally in possession of a firearm, opened the door with his gun pointed toward the floor. The deputy shouted, “Stand back!” after which shot Fortson six times. Only then did he shout: “Drop your weapon! Drop your weapon!” The deputy then radioed for paramedics.

Crump said Fortson was talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime and grabbed his gun because he heard someone leaving his apartment. The deputy then forced his way into the apartment, he said, citing the account of the girl, who has not yet been identified.

The case is one of many across the country in which law enforcement officers have shot and killed black people in their homes.

Crump, a outstanding civil rights activist, said the family wouldn’t allow the case to be forgotten or hidden.

“We must hold them accountable. If we do not do it, they will not do anything,” he said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating and the deputy has been placed on administrative leave.

A form of shrine has emerged in front of Fortson’s apartment, where people have left behind combat boots, bouquets of flowers and an American flag, amongst other things.

Fortson was stationed at Hurlburt Field near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He was a gunner aboard an AC-130J and won the Air Medal for combat device, which will likely be awarded after completing 20 sorties in a combat zone or for conspicuous valor or achievement in a single mission.

He was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special mission aviator, where one of his roles was loading a gunship’s 30mm and 105mm guns.