Killed U.S. Airman Roger Fortson's funeral details announced. Here's what to know
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The family of killed U.S. Airman Roger Fortson announced Wednesday plans to hold wake and funeral ceremonies this week.
Fortson, 23, was fatally shot by an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy inside his Fort Walton Beach apartment on May 3.
Authorities claim that the officer reacted in self-defense after confronting Fortson, who was armed with a gun when he answered his door. Fortson’s family are demanding answers after an alarming witness statement said that police entered the wrong apartment.
When is Roger Fortson’s wake and funeral?
National civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and the family of Senior Airman Roger Fortson announced Wednesday plans for wake and funeral services on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Before the wake, the family will hold a news conference where they will provide updates on how they and Fortson’s dog, Chloe, are doing.
More: Family of Florida airman killed by Okaloosa deputies demands his name be cleared
Fortson's body returns home: Body of US airman fatally shot by Florida deputy returned to Georgia ahead of funeral
The wake will be held between 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Donald Trimble Mortuary, 1876 2nd Ave., Decatur, Georgia. The news conference and funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 6400 Woodrow Road, Stonecrest, Georgia.
Pastor Jamal Bryant will deliver the eulogy at the funeral and Attorney Crump will deliver a call for justice.
How can you watch Roger Fortson’s funeral?
Fortson’s funeral will be live streamed on the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s YouTube page and website.
Who is Roger Fortson?
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was based at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field when he was fatally shot at his home at Chez Elan Apartments.
According to The Associated Press, he was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles as a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons during missions.
"Roger enlisted in the military after graduating from high school with honors and had no criminal record," Crump said in the release. "By all accounts, he was a stellar member of the Air Force and loved by his community."
Roger Fortson’s death
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department (OCSO) has released its version of the Roger Fortson shooting along with body cam footage from the deputy who shot him. A statement from a witness contradicts some of the details released by the sheriff's department, however.
According to the OCSO, authorities were called to Forton's apartment around 4:30 p.m. on May 3 regarding a reported disturbance.
The responding deputy entered the apartment complex and made his way to Fortson's unit.
The deputy knocked on Fortson's door several times before he answered. Officials say the officer "reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun."
The office has not shared details on what kind of disturbance deputies were responding to or who called them.
Video from the scene corroborates that Fortson had a gun in his hand when he opened the door, but he kept the gun pointed toward the ground in the brief moment before he was shot six times by the responding deputy.
Crump's law office has since released a statement detailing how the encounter played out.
According to Crump's press release, a witness who was on a Facetime call with Fortson at the time of the shooting said that Fortson was alone in his apartment when he heard a knock at his door.
Fortson asked, "Who is it?" and failed to get a response, the release says. A few minutes later, Fortson heard an "aggressive" knock but failed to see anyone once he looked out his peephole.
Fortson, concerned for his safety, retrieved his legally owned gun, the release says. As Fortson returned to the living room, the witness said, deputies "burst through his door." When deputies saw the gun, they fired at Fortson six times.
The witness said she saw Fortson on the ground, stating, "I can't breathe," after he was shot.
The witness also said police were at the wrong apartment, and there was no disturbance, according to the release.
In a Thursday press conference, Crump said it is their belief that the deputy who shot Fortson had entered the wrong apartment in answering a domestic disturbance call, with the agency allegedly trying to change the story and cover up what really happened.
"Hearing sounds of a disturbance, he reacted in self defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun after the deputy identified himself as law enforcement," the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office release said.
"You read that statement, it makes you think this was outside, there was a disturbance and this kid was creating a scene," Brian Barr, an attorney from Pensacola's Levin Levin Papantonio Rafferty firm who is co-counseling in this case alongside Crump, said. "They made it sound so convincing."
He told the assembled media, "none of you covered it. It didn't get any attention. I didn't hear about it until this Tuesday, and I live here. This statement made people try to forget about Roger."
Fortson’s body was returned to Georgia ahead of funeral
USA Today reported Wednesday that Fortson’s body was reportedly transferred to Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday afternoon.
Crump posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of Fortson’s body returning home.
Who is Ben Crump?
Ben Crump is an attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits
His practice has focused on cases such as:
Trayvon Martin
Breonna Taylor
Michael Brown
George Floyd
Keenan Anderson
People affected by the Flint water crisis,
The estate of Henrietta Lacks,
The 2019 Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit alleging the company's talcum powder product led to ovarian cancer diagnoses
Contributors: Samantha Neely and Collin Bestor, USA TODAY Network - Florida.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Roger Fortson funeral services announced. Here's what to know
