USA: Black soldier killed by police in his apartment, family demands accountability

They condemn the police mistake. The family of an African-American U.S. Air Force serviceman killed last week by police during a raid on his Florida apartment demanded justice Thursday.

Roger Fortson, 23, was killed on May 3. Local police intervened after learning of the incident, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement Thursday. At the scene, a police officer “discovered an armed man and shot him,” he added, adding that the man then died from his injuries.

But lawyer Ben Crump, who actively works on cases of police violence against blacks and represents the young man’s family, confirmed during a press conference that police “broke into the wrong apartment” on Thursday.

“Cascade of Tragic Events”

Roger Fortson was home alone on a video call with his girlfriend when there was a loud knock on his door, the lawyer said, adding that she had witnessed “a cascade of tragic events”.

After unsuccessfully trying to identify the man at the door, Roger Fortson went to get his gun, then when he returned to the living room, police burst into the apartment and shot him six times, he said.

In a press release, the sheriff announced that he had placed his agent on administrative suspension and said that Florida police and the state’s attorney’s office would conduct separate investigations. He urged the public to be patient until light is shed on “this tragic event.”