Black U.S. Airman Killed by Florida Sheriff Deputy with Questions?

By Roger Caldwell

      When a Black person is shot and killed in America by the police, there are always questions. The first question is always: is the killing justified, and why were there so many shots fired to protect the officer. In all of these killing there is always grief and the lost of a human life.

As a Black people, men, women, and children see us as victims of a broken system.  We all see ourselves as George Floyd, Philando Castle, Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, and Tamir Rice. Every day when we wake up, we wonder if the police will end our life today.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, on May 3^rd, 2024 at his home, his life was ended with 6 shots from a sheriff deputy. When the deputy arrived at the complex, he was directed by a woman that someone had overheard arguing disturbance at apartment 1401.

This information was not accurate, but the video shows the deputy knocking on the door twice, saying “Sheriff’s office, open the door.” It was obvious that this was the wrong apartment, but at this point everything gets crazy.

Airman Fortson decides to make a decision to get his gun to answer the door. Anytime a Black person makes a decision to show a gun, there is no conversation with a deputy. Most deputies decide to shoot first and ask questions later.

“At the apartment door where a Florida deputy shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson, a small shrine is growing with the tributes from the Air Force unit grappling with his loss. There is a long wooden plank anchored by two sets of aviator wings, and a Black marker for mourners to leave prayers and remembrances for the 23-year old.” says reporter, Tara Copp –Associated Press.

There is nothing new about this killing, because it happens every day in the Black community. But the lawyer for this case is Attorney Benjamin Crump, and the whole world stops and listens. With civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, there is a news conference and mainstream news will run the story, and interviews the attorney and family.

With Ben Crump representing the Fortson family, questions are raised and statements from the family is listened to and addressed. A video is demanded, and a video is released.

After the video’s release, Fortson’s family said in a statement; “In the four-and-a-half minute heavily redacted video, 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.”

At the eulogy, the Rev. Jamal Bryant referred to Fortson’s killing as “murder.” “We’ve got to call it what it is; It was murder. He died of stone-cold murder, and somebody has got to be held accountable. Roger was better to America than America was to Roger,” says Rev. Bryant.

Murder is a powerful word that many Black people are using to describe what happened to Airman Fortson at his home. There are many questions that must be answered and worked out. There always appears to be different systems, when shooting and death is applied to Black people.