Black US airman shot dead by police in Florida

A United States Air Force member was shot dead after a Florida sheriff mistakenly burst into the wrong home, BBC reported.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was at his home, face-timing his girlfriend, when the policeman, whose name hasn’t been revealed, burst into his house and shot him six times.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of other African American victims of police violence, has demanded a full investigation into the black killing incident.

In a press conference, he said: "He was in his apartment, his sanctuary, his castle, where he had every right to be, and they forcefully entered into his apartment by excessive use of force."

Sheriff Eric Aden of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said that the deputy was responding to reports of a "disturbance in progress" and reacted in "self-defence" after he saw Fortson holding a gun.

However, his girlfriend, who was on a call with him and heard everything, said that she "heard excessive banging," followed by Fortson asking who it was, and upon receiving no response, "he went and retrieved his legally registered gun." As he was walking towards the door, the door burst open, and she heard multiple shots being fired.

The case is currently under investigation, with Aden promising to provide "transparency and accountability."