Florida deputies who fatally shot a US airman burst into the wrong apartment, according to the attorney.

Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex mistakenly burst into the wrong unit, fatally shooting a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone, according to an attorney for the man’s family. The incident occurred on May 3 in Fort Walton Beach, where Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was living off-base.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Fortson’s family, stated that Fortson was on a Facetime call when the deputies entered his apartment. According to Crump, Fortson had heard a knock at the door and went to retrieve his legally owned gun when the deputies suddenly burst through. Upon seeing Fortson armed, the deputies shot him six times, Crump said, citing the woman’s account who was on the Facetime call with Fortson at the time. Fortson was taken to a hospital but later died from his injuries.

The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. The incident raises significant questions, with Crump calling for transparency and demanding the release of bodycam footage. He noted that the circumstances suggest deputies entered the wrong apartment, and that the death of Fortson, who was based at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, bears similarities to other high-profile cases of police shootings involving Black people in their own homes.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the claims, but Sheriff Eric Aden expressed sadness over the event, stating that they are working to understand the facts leading up to the incident.

Crump is a well-known attorney involved in many cases concerning the use of deadly force by police against Black people, including the cases of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Trayvon Martin. He and Fortson’s family plan to address the media on Thursday to discuss the incident further.