DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Family and friends gathered in DeKalb County to remember Roger Fortson, the 23-year-old U.S. Airmen killed by a Florida deputy last week.
Channel 2′s Audrey Washington has covered Fortson’s death from the beginning.
On Friday, Fortson’s mother Meka Fortson spoke with Channel 2 Action News about how she’s working to get her son justice.
Meka Fortson spoke to Washington soon after returning to the metro Atlanta area from Florida, saying she is heartbroken but determined.
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“They know that he is kind, they know his humanity,” Ms. Fortson told Washington, describing her son.
She said she wasn’t surprised at all to see the large turnout at a Friday evening vigil in his honor.
“They know his love,” Ms. Fortson added.
Speaking to Channel 2 Action News, Ms. Fortson fought to hold back tears as she talked about her son Roger, who she called her gift.
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She led a vigil in her DeKalb County neighborhood, calling for justice after his death.
“This was my baby. This is not for show. I want justice for Roger Nigel Fortson,” Ms. Fortson said.
Roger Fortson was killed on May 3.
A deputy in Okaloosa County, Fla. banged on his apartment door while responding to a disturbance call.
In body camera video obtained by Channel 2 Action News, you see the moments the 23-year-old airman answered the door, and how the deputy waited exactly one second before shooting Fortson several times.
Fortson later died from his injuries.
At the vigil, Ms. Fortson did not hold back her frustration, or her pain, after the loss of her son.
“He was murdered in his home. He was not given a chance. He was human,” she said.
In the body camera video, Forston is seen with a gun in his hand, pointed down toward the floor.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Fortsons, said the gun was registered in the airman’s name.
He believes Mr. Fortson answered the door with the firearm because of the loud banging.
“He was trained to use a firearm,” Crump said.
Now, the case has made national headlines and is under investigation, all while a host of family and friends prepare to say their final goodbyes to the Senior U.S. Airman.
“When you meet this young man, you just know, he’s a young man with a great heart,” Ben Jones, a family friend, said.
Ms. Fortson was more forceful.
“Nobody had the right to take him and I want justice for my child,” she told Channel 2 Action News.
The funeral for Roger Fortson will be held on Friday.
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