This is a tragic story out of Florida, no matter how you look at it.
The Sheriff's Office in Okaloosa County, Florida, has released bodycam footage showing the moment an officer shot and took the life of a member of the Air Force, Roger Fortson, at his apartment.
First, here's the bodycam video of the fatal shooting:
[Warning: Graphic]
Yeah, that's tough to watch.
The cops thought that there was a domestic disturbance in the apartment because someone called the police and told them that they heard a fight. The family claims that the police got the wrong apartment. But the Sheriff's Office says they went to the apartment they were told about by the lady who called it in (you can see that in the video).
Dude was in his apartment alone. I'm not sure if his girlfriend, who he was on the phone with, left before the police got there. Or if someone else was there and then left. Or if the woman calling in the report just said the wrong apartment number. None of that is clear.
The deputy identified himself, but it's not clear if Forston understood him. Forston grabbed his gun because he was in his own home and he wanted to protect himself. His gun, his home, his right, right?
The moment Forston answers the door, you can see in the video, the cop immediately opens fire. Forston had a gun in his hand, but never fired a shot.
The sheriff, who met with Fortson's family shortly before his news conference, said he asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Division to handle the criminal investigation, as is required. While that probe is ongoing, he said, 'no determination has been made as to whether the deputy's actions were justified or not.' The deputy has been placed on administrative leave.
'What we do know at this time is that the deputy did announce himself, not once but twice,"'Aden said. 'Mr. Fortson's comments indicate that he did acknowledge it was law enforcement at the door and he arrived at the door with a firearm in his hand. The deputy knocked on the correct door, he did not cover the peephole or otherwise obscured its view in any way.'
I'm glad there's an investigation underway.
Now, there is conflicting information about the shooting. The family has hired firebrand lawyer and well-known race hustler Ben Crump. So, if anyone is going to make a headline out of this story, you know that Crump will. He's the modern-day Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.
But, I'll be honest, it looks like he's got A LOT to work with here. Nothing about this seems like a good shot.
Fortson's family said after the video's release, 'It is very troubling that the deputy gave no verbal commands and shot multiple times within a split second of the door being opened, killing Roger.'
'As the officer didn't tell Roger to drop the weapon before shooting, was the officer trained to give verbal warnings? Did the officer try to initiate life-saving measures? Was the officer trained to deal with law-abiding citizens who are registered gun owners?' their statement added.
These are all good questions that investigators need to ask.
The cop didn't say anything to the young man after he opened the door and before he yelled, "get back" and started shooting.
Later Thursday, Crump also released nearly four minutes of the FaceTime call he says Fortson was on with his girlfriend when he was shot.
The video shows what appears to be the ceiling of an apartment as a man - presumably Fortson - can be heard groaning and saying, "' can't breathe.' Another man - presumably the deputy - tells him: 'Do not move. Stop movin'.'
Forston was, according to Crump, on the phone face-timing his girlfriend both before and during the shooting. The girlfriend says no one was home with Forston at the time of the shooting.
We'll keep you updated as the investigation continues.
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