Airman shot by deputy doted on little sister and aimed to buy mom a house, family says

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- Just 2 days earlier a sheriff's lawman successful Florida changeable him dead, U.S. Air Force airman Roger Fortson called location to find retired what his 10-year-old sister wanted for her birthday.

It was a emblematic motion for the 23-year-old from Atlanta, who doted connected the miss and was devoted to helping her, a younger member and his ma prosper, his household says.

“He was trying to springiness maine everything that I ne'er could get for myself,” his mother, Chantemekki Fortson, said Thursday astatine a quality league successful Fort Walton Beach, wherever her lad was surviving erstwhile helium was killed.

He was her “gift,” she said, the antheral who taught her to emotion and forgive and served arsenic her co-worker and counselor.

An Okaloosa County sheriff’s lawman changeable Fortson connected May 3. Sheriff's officials accidental helium acted successful self-defense portion responding to a telephone of a disturbance successful advancement astatine the flat complex. But civilian rights lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing the Fortson family, has accused the lawman of going to the incorrect flat and said the shooting was unjustified.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.

At Thursday's quality conference, Chantemekki Fortson held a ample framed representation of her lad successful formal uniform. He joined the Air Force successful 2019, the aforesaid twelvemonth helium graduated from Ronald McNair — a bulk Black precocious schoolhouse successful metro Atlanta’s DeKalb County wherever astir fractional of students don't postgraduate successful 4 years.

Air Force work was a lifelong dream, and Fortson roseate to the fertile of elder airman. He was stationed astatine Hurlburt Field adjacent Fort Walton Beach.

“Where we travel from, we don’t extremity up wherever Roger ended up,” his parent said.

Fortson, a gunner aboard the AC-130J, earned an Air Medal with combat device, which is typically awarded aft 20 flights successful a combat portion oregon for conspicuous valor oregon accomplishment connected a azygous mission. An Air Force authoritative said Fortson’s grant reflected some — completing flights successful a combat portion and taking circumstantial actions during 1 of the missions to code an in-flight exigency and let the ngo to continue. The authoritative spoke connected the information of anonymity to supply further details that had not been made public.

But his service, similar astir everything other helium did, had a larger purpose.

“He was trying to assistance his household person a amended life,” Crump said Thursday.

That meant serving arsenic a relation exemplary for his 16-year-old brother, his ma said, redeeming up to effort to bargain her a house, and getting her a caller car. His nickname was “Mr. Make It Happen.”

Chantemekki Fortson recalled that her son, past successful precocious school, accompanied her successful an ambulance to the infirmary erstwhile she was giving commencement to her girl and tried to archer the doc however to present the baby.

The miss and his member were ever successful his thoughts. Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron arsenic a peculiar missions aviator, wherever 1 of his roles was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons.

Chantemekki Fortson said her lad was injured portion loading a level and was successful specified terrible symptom helium thought helium would die. But helium told his ma helium had to propulsion done for his member and sister.

He was besides by her broadside erstwhile she got into an mishap a abbreviated clip aboriginal and needed to spell the exigency room.

“That’s the benignant of acquisition helium was,” she said. "They took thing that tin ne'er beryllium replaced.”

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Thanawala reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Tara Copp successful Washington contributed to this report.