Hundreds of Air Force members in dress blues joined Roger Fortson’s family, friends and others at a suburban Atlanta megachurch to pay their final respects to the Black senior airman, who was shot and killed in his Florida home earlier this month by a sheriff’s deputy.
“We would love to take credit for making him great, but the truth is he was great before he came to us. The Air Force merely polished a diamond that you forged,” Dierig, commander of the base’s 1st Special Operations Wing, said.
Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, honored Fortson’s service, Senior Airman Fortson will always be in our lives. He will always be in our hearts, because he is now one of those giants on [whose] shoulders we stand and protect our nation.
The Rev. Jamal Bryant invoked the memory of Medgar Evers, highlighting a disturbing historical parallel: the uniform does not always protect those who serve, especially if their skin color makes them a target. Bryant also called for justice in Fortson’s killing.
Al Sharpton, in a video message, pressed on the double standards at play and vowed to fight for Fortson’s case. “He as a young Black man stood up, signed up to fight for this country. The question now is will the country stand up and fight for him?”
Police body camera footage shows Fortson opening the door after the deputy knocked multiple times. The airman was holding a handgun at his side, and the deputy can be heard ordering him to step back before immediately shooting him about six times. The entire exchange took just seconds. Only after Fortson was on the ground did the deputy tell him to drop the gun.
Fortson’s family and legal team believe the shooting was unjustified and that the police went to the wrong apartment, and have raised questions about how the incident unfolded. The sheriff’s office said that the deputy involved, who has not been identified, was placed on leave and that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office are examining the incident.
Relevant articles:
– ‘He Was Great Before He Came to Us’: Air Force Leaders Speak at Funeral of Florida Airman Killed by Police, Military, 05/21/2024
– Black airman’s tragic death highlights the Second Amendment’s failures – The Washington Post, The Washington Post, 05/20/2024
– Hundreds pack funeral for Roger Fortson, the Black airman killed in his home by a Florida deputy, The Associated Press, 05/17/2024
– US Airman Roger Fortson, killed by deputy in his own home, honored at funeral, Rural Radio Network, 05/17/2024
– Congressman Hank Johnson condemns killing of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, hundreds attend funeral at New Birth, On Common Ground News, 05/18/2024
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