{"id":20086,"date":"2024-05-24T18:09:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T22:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?post_type=wfsu-news&#038;p=20086"},"modified":"2024-05-25T08:41:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T12:41:18","slug":"a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"wfsu-news","link":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-20086-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/05\/policetrainingd.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/05\/policetrainingd.mp3\">https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/05\/policetrainingd.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheriff-okaloosa.org\/\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Okaloosa County Sheriff\u2019s office<\/a> has been under national scrutiny for what some see as a problematic use of force.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/state-news\/2024-05-17\/give-my-child-justice-funeral-services-were-held-for-u-s-senior-airman-roger-fortson\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">latest incident<\/a> took place on May 3rd, involving Senior Airman Roger Fortson and a sheriff deputy, who has yet to be identified. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump likens Fortson\u2019s death to the killings of Breonna Taylor and Travon Martin.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen it far too many times when they kill people, especially Black people unjustifiably,&#8221; said Crump. &#8220;They have the investigation go on for months or years. We\u2019re not going to let them sweep Roger Fortson under the rug.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Body cam footage of the incident shows the Okaloosa deputy responding to Fortson\u2019s apartment after receiving a call about a disturbance between a man verbally abusing a woman.<\/p>\n<p>Fortson, however, was alone.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/florida-deputies-black-airman-killed-c747bffae2690dd8fa0908f4b95821b6\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">footage released<\/a> by the sheriff\u2019s department shows Fortson opening the door, after the deputy knocked and introduced himself multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear whether Fortson heard the knocking. The 23-year-old was seen holding a gun with it pointing downwards, and before giving commands to drop it, the deputy opened fire.<\/p>\n<p>The deputy then calls for medical assistance.<\/p>\n<p><b>&#8220;De-escalation does not always work.\u201d <\/b><\/p>\n<p>Brent Loeffler is the training director for the <a href=\"https:\/\/georgiasheriffs.org\/organizer\/brent-loeffler\/\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Georgia Sheriffs\u2019 Association<\/a>. He has not seen the footage but says from his 20-year experience of training deputies on proper use of force, that not every police-involved shooting is the same.<\/p>\n<p>He says in most cases, it boils down to the safety of the officer and others nearby.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times you got individuals outside playing, doing yard work, or whatever,&#8221; Loeffler explained in an interview with WFSU. &#8220;Depending on the situation, those individuals could be placed at just a greater risk of being shot or injured.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/87\/8b\/3fe5d9764d4785307c728caf219e\/ap24130705052331.jpg\" width=\"4984\" height=\"3323\" alt=\"Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden holds a news conference where he shared deputy body cam footage of the May 3, 2024 shooting of Roger Fortson, a U.S. Navy airman, Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Fortson was shot in his apartment after a response to a complaint. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert)\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Not everyone\u2019s buying the deputy\u2019s actions.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Noted Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump is representing Fortson\u2019s family. He says the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/05\/10\/1250597389\/what-is-known-about-fatal-shooting-involving-florida-deputy-and-black-u-s-airman\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deputy shot prematurely.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Crump argues the fact Fortson had his gun pointing downward toward the floor, while in his own apartment, negates the deputy\u2019s claim of self-defense.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You put out this narrative demonizing his name, as if he [Fortson] did something wrong,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Sabu Williams, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/naacp-okaloosa.org\/\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Okaloosa NAACP<\/a>, is calling for the sheriff\u2019s office to release certain legal documents. He&#8217;s interested in knowing how they\u2019ve handled deputy shootings in the past.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we look at complaints, discipline actions, termination records, and lawsuits that have been filed; we look at it from a different view,&#8221; said Williams. &#8220;We may see some patterns, practices, or behaviors.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Last November, the same department was in the hotseat after a deputy, by the name of Jesse Hernandez, mistook the sound of an acorn falling onto his patrol vehicle for gunshots, and opened fire on the vehicle while Marquis Jackson, a Black man, was in the backseat handcuffed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe began yelling \u201cshots fired\u201d multiple times, falling to the ground and rolling,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s report said. \u201cHe fired into the patrol car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Okaloosa deputy and his partner <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/florida-deputy-resigns-acorn-shooting-dc574fd2cd182fadf6a238d8b1b2b4f6\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fired 22 rounds at the vehicle<\/a>. Hernandez resigned on Dec. 4, while under investigation. As for Jackson, he and his lawyers sued the sheriff\u2019s office for \u201cunjustifiable use of deadly force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImagine being shot at a tremendous amount of times while handcuffed in the backseat of a cop car, by the ones we call to protect our community,&#8221; Jackson said during a press conference.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>With Jackson\u2019s case pending and the family of Roger Fortson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheriff-okaloosa.org\/okaloosa-county-sheriffs-office-announces-update-re-death-of-roger-fortson\/\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">still awaiting answers<\/a> from state investigators, several human rights groups have asked the state to do more to help police better protect Floridians.<\/p>\n<p>Okaloosa\u2019s NAACP wants agencies to host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OkaloosaNAACP\/posts\/pfbid0z9nDGMUZeuEF52o8TTK5nQxkNmKFN3WUidwdgfmhLrFEKRNhv8cQMwBwNe2vR5Gjl\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">community engagement sessions<\/a> and focus more on de-escalation tactics.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdle.state.fl.us\/FCJEI\/Online-Mandatory-Retraining.aspx#:~:text=Commission%2Dcertified%20instructors%20are%20required,or%20more%20specific%20instructor%20certifications.&amp;text=Officers%20may%20elect%20to%20complete,training%20requirement%20every%204%20years.\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement<\/a>, only sworn law enforcement officers must complete 40 hours of use of force, human diversity, and racial profiling training <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdle.state.fl.us\/FCJEI\/Online-Mandatory-Retraining.aspx#:~:text=Commission%2Dcertified%20instructors%20are%20required,or%20more%20specific%20instructor%20certifications.&amp;text=Officers%20may%20elect%20to%20complete,training%20requirement%20every%204%20years.\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">every four years<\/a>. NAACP\u2019s Sabu Williams says that needs to change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the laws need to change in order to protect people,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There should be no reason why this young airman was killed. He did nothing wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2024 WFSU<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":20087,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[],"tags":[1136,1135],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida - WFSU Local Routes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida - WFSU Local Routes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WFSU spoke with an expert to learn when deadly force is necessary and what some activists are saying about the incident.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WFSU Local Routes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-25T12:41:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/ap19039776894089-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/\",\"name\":\"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida - WFSU Local Routes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-24T22:09:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-25T12:41:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/\",\"name\":\"WFSU Local Routes\",\"description\":\"Local stories from northern Florida and southern Georgia.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida - WFSU Local Routes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida - WFSU Local Routes","og_description":"WFSU spoke with an expert to learn when deadly force is necessary and what some activists are saying about the incident.","og_url":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/","og_site_name":"WFSU Local Routes","article_modified_time":"2024-05-25T12:41:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/ap19039776894089-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/","url":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/","name":"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida - WFSU Local Routes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-24T22:09:52+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-25T12:41:18+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/a-police-shooting-in-fort-walton-beach-is-raising-questions-about-use-of-force-training-in-florida\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A police shooting in Fort Walton Beach is raising questions about use of force training in Florida"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/","name":"WFSU Local Routes","description":"Local stories from northern Florida and southern Georgia.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wfsu-news\/20086"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wfsu-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wfsu-news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}