Bodycam Footage of Florida Deputy Shooting Air Force Airman Released

Read the thread. I’ve made my position very clear. If you want to make the claim that I’m blaming the victim or that I’m an idiot, knock yourself out. I simply said that opening the door to a policeman holding a gun is a ‘puzzling’ decision. Some might call it a really stupid decision.

The real world isn’t binary. Multiple mistakes can contribute to a tragedy.

 

I felt the same way until I watched the video several times. Why the kid had the gun we don't know, thus it was puzzling. There may have been a good reason - such as some stranger banging on the door, but not revealing himself. But it was ultimately irrelevant. The cop killed him the instant the door was opened, likely because he was black.

 

NYPD being NYPD

 

It. Doesn’t. Fu@&!#g. Matter.

He was legally well within his rights to be armed in his own residence and made no motion toward the police. This is like telling a women she shouldn’t have dressed a certain way. C’mon.

An officer that reactionary should not be on the beat.

 

This is a situation where I think the guns were at fault.

 

The investigation is continuing, but it's getting clearer the deputy responded to the wrong apartment, there was no disturbance occurring at the victim's apartment. I'm looking forward to reading reports that haven't been 99% redacted by the Okaloosa Sheriff's Office.


"Dispatch call history sheets provided by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office to Military.com identify two apartment numbers that were not Fortson's, "Unit 1101" and "Unit 1404." The other two units are written in the logs, and it was not immediately clear why they were mentioned."

"Other records from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office obtained by Military.com earlier this month showed that, since the beginning of 2023, there had been 10 police calls to another unit in Fortson's building -- apartment 1412 -- for welfare checks, disturbances and an emergency medical service call for a hemorrhage. There had been no calls to Fortson's apartment, 1401, within that same time period."

"Meanwhile, a subsequent 911 call on May 3 provided to Military.com by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office was placed from another resident of the building, who said, "They've been arguing for almost an hour now" and then reported they heard gunshots.

"I just heard, what sounded like, three or four gunshots, and a bunch of running and screaming," the caller tells dispatch. "I know there's a kid up there, and that's why I'm freaking out."

Remember, the deputy listened outside the victim's door for approximately 30 seconds and there was no disturbance. This second 911 caller indicates the people had been arguing for an hour and then gunshots. Keep in mind Fortson was alone in his apartment face-timing with his girlfriend.

New 911 Calls, Police Records Raise More Questions in Senior Airman Roger Fortson Shooting Death

What to know about airman Roger Fortson's fatal shooting by a Florida sheriff's deputy

Listen to the second 911 caller (the first call in the video.) She is telling 911 the argument has been going on for an hour and dispatcher tells the callers deputies are on scene.

 

The officer has been let go...

Florida deputy who fatally shot U.S. airman fired after sheriff's investigation

 

In the AP report is this quote. Not sure if it is in the thread prior and I could not find an unredacted video to check the “eyes” of the victim.

According to the internal affairs report, Duran told investigators when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”

But wpb is right earlier in the thread. Guns are a big culprit, but also the constant marinating in the mind of police that the public is the enemy and that they need to be predisposed towards deadly violence

 

“The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in the office’s statement."

"It concluded, “Mr. Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable under OSCO’s policy,” the office said on Friday."

Game...set...match.

There will obviously be civil suit that the Sheriff will be quite anxious to settle. I am curious to see if the case will be presented to a grand jury. It should be.