US police shoot dead a black Air Force officer, family seeks probe

Washington: The family of the black airman, who was shot dead by a Florida police officer, demanded a ‘full investigation’ into the murder, news agency AFP reported.

A Florida sheriff's deputy burst into the wrong apartment on May 3 and shot dead Roger Fortson who was in the US Air Force.

Now the airman’s family through Civil rights attorney Ben Crump sought justice.

However, the deputy involved in the attack, according to Sheriff Eric Aden of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, was responding to reports of a "disturbance in progress" at the time.

Responding to the claim, Civil rights attorney Ben Crump told a press conference that ‘it wasn't Roger's apartment that had a disturbance.’

Crump added they police forcefully entered into Roger Fortson’s apartment which was ‘his apartment, his sanctuary, his castle, where he had every right to be,’ and alleged an "excessive" use of force.

Further expanding on the incidents of that day, Crump said the 23-year-old airman was on FaceTime with his girlfriend when the cops arrived.

Crump said Fortson’s girlfriend ‘heard everything’ beginning with an ‘aggressive banging’ at the door.

Afterwards, Fortson looked through a peephole but he could not see anyone and Crumb added that Fortson ‘went and retrieved his legally registered gun.’

Citing Fortson’s girlfriend, Crump said she heard shots, adding ‘He was shot six times’.

However, Sheriff Eric Aden of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said that the deputy was responding to a " call of a disturbance in progress where he encountered an armed man."

Aden said that "The deputy shot the man, who later succumbed to his injuries." Aden said that an investigation into the incident will follow.