Air Force senior Airman Roger Fortson, who police shot to death in his own apartment, will be buried Friday in New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia.

Forston’s body arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday afternoon and was escorted from the plane by the Delta Honor Guard, according to his obituary.

A public viewing and visitation was held Thursday from noon until 8 p.m. Donald Trimble Mortuary is handling arrangements.

We still don’t know the name of the deputy who fired six bullets, killing him, or why. We also don’t know if the deputy has a record of shooting or harming others.

We also don’t know the name of the woman who told police that she heard screaming coming from his apartment, apartment 1401, where Fortson lived, although he was on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend.

Fortson had a gun, but it was not pointed at the police as they aggressively banged on the door. This police murder should outrage Black men and Black women.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office was responding to a reported disturbance between a man and woman in the apartment building, and a responding deputy shot Fortson, who was Black, multiple times in the chest, according to police radio communications.

“The circumstances surrounding Roger’s death raise serious questions that demand immediate answers from authorities, especially considering the alarming witness statement that the police entered the wrong apartment,” Crump said. “The narrative released by law enforcement, which falsely suggests that Roger posed a threat, is deeply troubling and inconsistent with the details provided by that witness: Roger was home alone, causing no disturbance, when his life was tragically cut short by law enforcement.”

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz issued a statement on Friday about the fatal shooting of the airman killed by an Okaloosa deputy. 

“The killing of Airman Roger Fortson in my community continues to be a source of deep sadness. As the investigation continues, I think one thing is clear from the body cam and should be stated unequivocally: Roger did not deserve to die. He did nothing wrong,” Gaetz said.

Fortson lived in an off-base residence, and his special operations squadron at Hurlburt Field in the Florida panhandle flies AC-130J Ghostrider gunships.

Military.com reviewed publicly available police radio audio that reported a call for a disturbance at an apartment complex at 319 Racetrack Road around 4:30 p.m. local time.

“We don’t have anything beyond a male and female; it’s all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office,” a deputy said on the radio.

A few minutes later, another deputy called in to report “shots fired, suspect down” and called for emergency medical services.

“Multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, Black male,” another deputy chimed in shortly after. Fortson was shot six times, Crump said in his statement.

Fortson joined the Air Force on Nov. 19, 2019, according to a copy of his service record provided by Military.com. He joined as an AC-130J gunner. Crump added that Fortson graduated from high school with honors and had no criminal record.