911 call released in FL deputy-involved shooting of Senior Airman Roger Forston

ByMorgan Norwood ABCNews logo
Monday, May 27, 2024
New details in deputy involved shooting of Senior Airman Roger Forston
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has released the official calls and recordings in the deadly police shooting of Senior Airman Roger Forston.

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. -- There are new details from the deputy-involved shooting of a U.S. airman in his own Florida apartment.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has released official calls and records from the incident. However, major questions remain about how the encounter turned deadly in just a matter of seconds.

We're hearing for the first time the concerned call that led to the fatal confrontation between a Florida sheriff's deputy and U.S. Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

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"Sounds like, she's like -- He's fighting with someone else and it's -- She's saying that it sounds like it's getting a little bit out of control," the 911 caller said.

The non-emergency call came from an employee at the apartment complex where Fortson lived and said a resident reported overhearing a rowdy domestic dispute.

The employee gave the dispatcher the apartment number.

"The apartment number's gonna be 1401," the caller said.

It's the same apartment number seen in body camera video, which showed the moment deputies arrive at Fortson's door.

In the video, Fortson is seen opening the door with a gun in his hand that was pointed down. Within seconds, the deputy fires several rounds, striking Fortson in the chest and arm.

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The 23-year-old later died at a hospital.

Now, as the community remembers the decorated airman who served overseas, major questions remain unanswered.

The sheriff's office has not identified the deputy involved and the incident report they released is heavily redacted.

Meanwhile, Fortson's family claims he was alone in the apartment at the time. His girlfriend said they were on a FaceTime call discussing weekend plans the moment authorities knocked on the door.

The family is now demanding justice.

"Tell the truth about my son. I know my son did not do anything to you guys," Fortson's mother said.