DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Two months after a U.S. Airman was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy, the Fortson family lost another son in a deadly shooting.
Roger Fortson was shot and killed by a sheriff at his off-base apartment in Fort Walton, Florida on May 3. On Tuesday night, his younger brother seems to have been caught in a crossfire outside of the family apartment in DeKalb County.
Andre Fortson, 16, was found shot to death in the breezeway of the Summit Hill Apartments on Bouldercrest Road.
Channel 2′s Michael Doudna was live on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. at DeKalb Police headquarters where police named one of the suspects.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Police confirmed to Channel 2 Action News on Wednesday night that one of the shooters has been identified as Quintavious Zellner, 20. Zellner has been arrested for aggravated assault and lodged at the DeKalb County Jail.
On Tuesday, a peaceful night was disrupted by gunfire. The community says they are heartbroken.
“What I heard was some gunfire, and it was coming from the backside of my building,” said a neighbor.
“We just heard them saying Andre, stay with us,” they said.
Neighbors describe hearing cars drive off, leaving 16-year-old Andre Fortson bleeding in a breezeway. Every neighbor Doudna talked to said they believed Andre was an innocent bystander.
“I tried to save him, doing CPR because I couldn’t save him,” said Jaqueia, a neighbor of the Fortsons.
Jaqueia says Andre was a good kid who loved to dance with neighbors and had big dreams.
“He never disrespected me. You always see him go to school. He was a really good boy. He was never disrespectful, never saw him in any altercations, or anything like that,” she said.
The 16-year-old’s death is the continuation of a nightmare for the Fortson family.
RELATED STORIES:
- Deputy who shot, killed Airman Roger Fortson has been fired over unreasonable deadly force
- What to know about airman Roger Fortson’s fatal shooting by a Florida sheriff’s deputy
- Hundreds pack funeral for Roger Fortson, the Black airman killed in his home by a Florida deputy
- Attorney for family of U.S. Airman shot, killed by deputy to reveal new evidence
- Body camera video released in death of U.S. Airman from Atlanta shot by Florida deputy
“I still keep hoping that it’s a dream,” said his parents.
Back in May, Andre’s brother Roger answered the door after hearing aggressive knocking. That’s when an Okaloosa Florida County Sheriff’s deputy used unreasonable force and killed him.
In a statement, the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, said in part, “This has been an incredibly challenging time for them with the loss of Roger. Losing the life of yet another young family member – a mere child – has been an absolute devastation.”
Now, a family is left grieving, and a community is left mourning after another young child was killed too soon.
Police are still looking for the other people responsible.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
IN OTHER NEWS:
©2024 Cox Media Group
