Decorated airman, 23, is killed by cops who shot him SIX TIMES while he was on FaceTime to a friend – before police ‘realize their deadly mistake’
- U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, died in the hospital Friday evening
- A woman said she witnessed him being killed by police while they were on FaceTime
- She told how police knocked on the wrong door before bursting in and shooting him
A pilot was killed at his home after police allegedly entered the wrong apartment and shot him as his shocked friend watched on FaceTime.
23-year-old U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson was identified as the young man shot and killed in a drive-by 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 officer responded to a report of a disturbance and “responded in self-defense after encountering a 23-year-old man armed with a handgun,” officers say.
A witness, who was on FaceTime with Fortson during the shooting, claimed Fortson heard a knock on the door and asked who was there.
Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, of the U.S. Air Force, was identified as the young man shot and killed in a shootout last Friday afternoon
The Black pilot (pictured) was killed in his Florida apartment after police entered the wrong apartment and shot him as his shocked friend watched on FaceTime
When he got no response but heard another “very aggressive knock,” Fortson peered through the peephole – but saw no one and became concerned.
Out of concern, Fortson picked up a gun, which the witness said he legally owned.
When he returned to his living room with the gun, authorities reportedly forced their way through his door and shot him six times.
The traumatized witness, who stayed on the line via FaceTime during the horrific shooting, recalled Fortson saying “I can’t breathe” after the shots were fired. Fortson later died in hospital.
The deputy involved in the incident has since been placed on administrative leave while the investigation into the shooting continues.
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 roles as a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm guns 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 November 19, 2019
The Air Force’s 1st Special Operations Wing said its priorities are “providing victim services to the family, supporting the squadron during this tragic time and ensuring resources are available for anyone affected.”
A similar incident occurred at the same sheriff’s office in November — where the officer shot an unarmed and handcuffed man after mistaking the sound of a falling acorn for a gunshot, according to The Washington Post.
The Washington Post’s database of fatal police shootings between 2015 and April this year shows that police killed the highest number of people on record in 2023.
Black Americans are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans.