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Florida is a trash-a** state for hundreds of years of reasons and today we can add another heartbreaking one to top of the list.
According to APNews, an inept group of sheriff’s deputies in Miami, Florida were responding to a call about a disturbance at an apartment complex on May 3, 2024. When they arrived on the scene, they were so jacked up on adrenaline and ready to use force than they kicked in the wrong door and shot 23-year-old Black U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson to death with six rounds.
The report states that Fortson was alone in his home talking to a woman on FaceTime when he heard the disturbance that deputies were responding to. The woman says Fortson heard a knock at his door but got no response when he asked who it was. Upon hearing a second, much louder knock, Fortson checked the peephole but saw no one outside. The woman says he grew concerned and went to retrieve his legally owned firearm. When he walked back into the living room, cops kicked in the door and immediate began firing at the sight of Fortson holding a gun. The witness says he laid on the floor saying, “I can’t breathe”. He would die later at the hospital.
What is it with cops not knowing how to read numbers? This case sounds very familiar to the Amber Guyger case and the death of Botham Jean.
Ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing Fortson’s family in the ongoing case. Via NewsOne:
“We urge authorities to immediately stop demonizing Roger in their statements to the media,” Crump added. “It’s imperative to correct the record and acknowledge the wrongful entry into Roger’s home. What we know for sure is that Roger was a dedicated U.S. Airman serving the country and a cherished member of his community. Any attempts to tarnish his character only compound the pain felt by his loved ones.”
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department refused to publicly name the deputies involved or disclose their races but Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the local State Attorney’s Office are investigating the incident while the officer is on administrative leave.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
