A Florida deputy's fatal shooting of a U.S. service member has jarred the former top enlisted officer of the Air Force
A small shrine is pictured Monday, May 13, 2024, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. at the door of an apartment where a Florida deputy shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson. The shrine includes a long wooden plank, anchored by two sets of aviator wings and a black marker to leave thoughts, a Stella Artois, and combat boots and an American Flag. As the unit takes a day to grieve and prepare for a funeral Friday, May 17, questions remain about the shooting.
The national outcry surrounding Floyd's death pushed Wright to lead some initiatives to better address racial issues within the Air Force. But by his own account, they didn't go far enough. Fortson's death has left him wondering if things will ever change. Sabu Williams, president of the Okaloosa County NAACP branch, was there and said he did not leave with a sense that the sheriff's office thought Fortson's race was a factor in the shooting.
Two databases, one by The Washington Post and another compiled by Campaign Zero, run by academics and activists advocating for police accountability, found that while more white people are killed in police encounters overall, Black people are disproportionately killed by police. Black people make up about 12% of the U.S. population but account for about a quarter of police killings in each of the databases.
“Whatever the race of this deputy, whether he’s Black, white, Hispanic, whatever — in this instance where this deputy saw a Black person with a weapon and immediately used deadly force, instead of calmly and reflectively assessing the situation, this is it.” MaCharie Dunbar, a board member of the Black Veterans Project, a national organization created to address racial inequality in the experiences of Black service members, said he wonders whether it would have made a difference if Fortson had been in uniform.
Diversity Equity And Inclusion Politics Black People Crime Law Enforcement Shootings U.S. News General News Washington News Article 110288042
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Experts say gun alone doesn't justify deadly force in fatal shooting of Florida airmanA Black Air Force senior airman was killed by a Florida sheriff's deputy.
Read more »
Air Force secretary rebuffs pleas from governors over Space Force National Guard plansAir Force Secretary Frank Kendall backed a proposal that would take some National Guard units and reassign them to the Space Force despite opposition.
Read more »
Body of US Airman Killed by Florida Deputy Being Flown Home by Air ForceThe body of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, who was fatally shot by a Florida sheriff's deputy on May 3, will be returned to his family Tuesday in Atlanta.
Read more »
Air Force airman fatally shot when Florida deputies breached wrong apartment, attorney saysSenior Airman Roger Fortson of the U.S. Air Force was fatally shot by a Florida deputy after they burst into the wrong apartment, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Read more »
Air Force airman killed by Florida deputies who were at wrong apartment, attorney saysPhil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.
Read more »
US service member shot and killed by Florida police identified by the Air ForceThe U.S. Air Force says a 23-year-old Airman supporting its Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, was shot and killed during an incident involving the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Read more »