Black U.S. airman fatally shot by police at home in Florida

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- A black U.S. airman was fatally shot last week at his own apartment by police in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, local media reported on Thursday.

Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot multiple times by a sheriff deputy as soon as he answered the door of his apartment on May 3, holding what appeared to be a handgun pointed down toward the floor, according to a video taken from the body camera worn by the deputy.

Fortson was then taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, officials said.

A lawyer for Fortson's family alleged the deputy had gone to the wrong apartment.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said the deputy had responded to "a call of a disturbance in progress where he encountered an armed man," and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and state attorney's office would conduct an investigation.