OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has released an additional statement following the release of body cam and FaceTime footage from the deadly shooting of Roger Fortson. Roger was a 23-year-old active-duty Senior Airman who was fatally shot six times by a Florida Sheriff’s Deputy on Friday, May 3.Attorney Crump has issued the following statement:
“There is no question that the officer acted with impulse and a lack of proper training when he shot and killed Roger within seconds of the door opening. When he opened his door and saw the sheriff’s deputy, Roger had his gun pointed to the ground with one hand and held his other hand up to signal he was not going to shoot. Only after Roger’s body was riddled with bullets did the officer instruct Roger to drop his gun. Even after he was shot, he intended to comply with the officer’s commands to drop his weapon saying with his final breaths, “It’s over there. I don’t have it.”
“Roger was a special operations serviceman who just returned from Kuwait. It is a harrowing tragedy that Roger dedicated his life to serving his country and defending our constitutional rights and in the end, his constitutional rights were violated, leading to his death.
“The second amendment afforded Roger the right to own a gun and yield it as protection when he was unsure who was on the other side of his door. It is clear that this officer needs to be investigated and held accountable for the execution of Roger. We will not rest until there is justice for Roger and his family.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
