In Stonecrest, Georgia, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church became a confluence of grief and solidarity as hundreds of mourners—among them a sea of Air Force members in dress blues—gathered to bid farewell to Airman Roger Fortson. Killed in his home by a Florida deputy under contentious circumstances, the 23-year-old’s funeral on Friday.
Roger Fortson, an active-duty senior airman, became another tragic figure in a series of incidents across the United States where law enforcement fatally shot Black citizens in their homes. This latest incident occurred on May 3 when a deputy, responding to an alleged domestic violence, shot Fortson six times shortly after he opened his apartment door holding a handgun pointed towards the floor.
Colonel Patrick Dierig of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Air Force Base, where Fortson served, praised the airman’s character, saying, “We would like to take credit for making him great, but the truth is that he was great before he came to us.”
The funeral service brought poignant messages from influential figures. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the Fortson family, remembered Fortson as an American patriot and an exemplary figure, declaring, “He was the best from East Atlanta… He was the best from the state of Georgia. He was one of the best this world had to offer.”
The Rev. Jamal Bryant, delivering the eulogy, drew parallels between Fortson’s death and the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers, stating, “Because in America, before people see you as a veteran, as an airman in the United States Air Force, they’ll see you as a Black man.” Further, Bryant didn’t mince words when he labeled the incident as murder and demanded accountability: “We’ve got to call it as it is — Roger died of murder,” he asserted. “Roger was better to America than America was to Roger.”
The narrative of the shooting, as presented by the family and their attorney, sharply contradicts the official statement that the deputy acted in self-defense. The family asserts that the deputy had arrived at the wrong apartment, while Fortson was alone, engaged in a FaceTime call with his girlfriend. The sheriff has yet to release an incident report, any 911 records or the officer’s identity, despite requests for the information under Florida’s open records act.
Fortson’s mother, Meka Fortson, reflected on her son’s life and the loss felt by the family, “He had a mama that’s a poor black single mom, and I’ll walk through the fire for justice,” she vowed. The family’s determination was clear as they navigate through their sorrow, with Meka Fortson insisting to Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden, “You’re going to give me justice whether you want to, Sheriff Aden, or not.”
Relevant articles:
– Hundreds pack funeral for Roger Fortson, the Black airman killed in his home by a Florida deputy, Stripes, 05/18/2024
– Roger Fortson: Airman killed by Florida deputy laid to rest, FOX 5 Atlanta, 05/17/2024
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