Attorney: 16-year-old killed in shooting was brother of airman shot to death by Florida deputy
ATLANTA (WANF/Gray News) - A 16-year-old was fatally shot Tuesday night in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Officers responded to apartments on the 1400 block of Bouldercrest Road at around 9:45 p.m. That’s where they located the boy in the breezeway of one of the buildings.
The teenager killed is the brother of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, who was shot and killed by a Florida deputy, according to Ben Crump, a national civil rights attorney who is also representing the Fortson family.
The shooting of Fortson happened back in May when the Air Force senior airman opened the door of his home in Fort Walton Beach armed with a handgun pointed down, the Associated Press reported. The deputy, Eddie Duran, was fired.
“The Fortson family is battling the loss of yet another young member of their family,” Crump said in a statement. “This has been an incredibly challenging time for them with the loss of Roger. Losing the life of yet another young family member — a mere child — has been an absolute devastation. We are asking the media and the public for privacy and space during this impossible time.”
DeKalb County police spokesperson Lt. Shane Smith said investigators found that two groups of people were shooting at each other for reasons that are currently unknown.
Smith said one of the suspected shooters, identified as 20-year-old Quintavious Zellner, was arrested on an aggravated assault charge and taken to the DeKalb County Jail.
While the victim has been identified as Fortson’s brother, his name has not been released.
Detectives are working to learn more about the shooting.
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