The teenage brother of a U.S. Air Force airman who was shot and killed in his home by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in May has been killed in a shooting in the Atlanta area, police said.

Andre Fortson, Senior Airman Roger Fortson’s 16-year-old brother, was killed this week in DeKalb County, near Atlanta’s east side, DeKalb County police said in an update on the slaying.

“The Fortson family is battling the loss of yet another young member of their family,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been representing the family since Roger Fortson was killed.

HUNDREDS PACK FUNERAL FOR ROGER FORTSON, THE AIRMAN KILLED IN HIS HOME BY A FLORIDA DEPUTY

“This has been an incredibly challenging time for them with the loss of Roger,” Crump said in a statement. “Losing the life of yet another young family member — a mere child — has been an absolute devastation.”

Andre Fortson was found shot to death in the breezeway of an apartment complex on Tuesday, police said. Two groups of people had been shooting at each other for unknown reasons, DeKalb County police said.

A 20-year-old man was identified as one of the shooters, and arrested on an aggravated assault charge, police said. He was booked into the DeKalb County Jail. Jail records did not list an attorney who could be reached for comment on his behalf.

The killing comes about three months after Roger Fortson, 23, was killed May 3 by Okaloosa County sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran at Fortson’s apartment in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The airman had answered the door while holding a handgun pointed toward the floor and was killed within seconds, body camera video shows.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran, saying the deputy’s life was never in danger and that he should not have fired his weapon.

A sheriff’s office internal affairs investigation found that Fortson “did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable.”

The Fortson family is from DeKalb County, where Andre Fortson was killed. At a tearful news conference a couple of weeks after the Florida killing, Andre Fortson stood on the stage with his mother and sisters. They wore red shirts with the words “WE ALL WE GOT” on the front and a picture of Roger Fortson in his military uniform on the back.

Roger Fortson was stationed at the Air Force’s Hurlburt Field in the Florida Panhandle. At his funeral outside Atlanta, hundreds of Air Force members in dress blues filed past his coffin, draped with an American flag.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn took home Tennessee’s Republican Senate primary on Thursday, likely securing the senate seat in the process in the heavily-Republican state. Blackburn led Thursday’s primary with almost 93% of the vote over Tres Wittum, at the time the race was called by the Associated Press.

Blackburn, the incumbent senator, was largely seen as the favorite in the race heading in, having won her first race for Senate in 2018 over former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen by 11 points.

KAMALA HARRIS EYES GOVERNORS FROM BATTLEGROUND STATES AS POSSIBLE VP PICKS

Blackburn’s lone challenger was Wittum, a former Tennessee legislative staffer who finished last in a primary bid for the state’s 5th Congressional District in 2022. 

Blackburn will now move on to face off with Democratic state Sen. Gloria Johnson.

Johnson rose to fame last year after being one of three members of the Tennessee legislature to stage a protest on the state House floor in the aftermath of a shooting at an elementary school. She was dubbed as a member of the “Tennessee Three,” being joined in the protest by fellow Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, both Democrats. 

DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS REEL FROM BIDEN’S PUTIN-ZELENSKYY GAFFE, IMPLICATIONS FOR US LEADERSHIP ON WORLD STAGE

The protests, which violated House rules, resulted in the expulsion of both Pearson and Jones, who were later reappointed and easily won special elections to regain their seats.

Democratic state Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville speaks after a vote to expel Justin Jones of Nashville from the governing body on April 6, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. 

Blackburn will now likely be the favorite in November’s general election, with Tennessee having leaned heavily Republican in statewide elections in recent years.

Blackburn’s Tennessee colleague, Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty, was reelected in 2020 by about 30 points, while Republican Gov. Bill Lee was able to secure reelection in 2022 by over 30 points.

Former President Donald Trump also easily won the state in 2016 and 2020, taking Tennessee by 26 and 23 points, respectively.

State Rep. Gloria Johnson emerged the victor in Tennessee’s closely watched Democratic Senate primary and will take on incumbent Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn in November’s election.

Johnson took home the victory by garnering 74% of the vote over challengers Marquita Bradshaw, Civil Miller-Watkins and Lola Brown, at the time the race was called by the Associated Press Thursday night.

KAMALA HARRIS EYES GOVERNORS FROM BATTLEGROUND STATES AS POSSIBLE VP PICKS

The race garnered interest from Democrats nationwide after Johnson, who was seen as the front-runner in the race, attracted widespread attention last year by staging a protest on the floor of the Republican-controlled state House in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a Tennessee elementary school. 

Johnson’s protest was joined by two other lawmakers, state Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, both Democrats, who together became known as the “Tennessee Three.” Pearson and Jones were both expelled for violating House rules after the protest, though they were later reappointed.

Johnson’s toughest primary challenger was thought to be Bradshaw, an environmental activist who secured the party’s nomination in 2020 before being soundly defeated by incumbent Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty. 

DEMOCRAT GOVERNORS REEL FROM BIDEN’S PUTIN-ZELENSKYY GAFFE, IMPLICATIONS FOR US LEADERSHIP ON WORLD STAGE

Johnson will now have an uphill climb in the heavily Republican-leaning state. Blackburn won her race in 2018 by 11 points, while Hagerty defeated Bradshaw by a whopping 30 points in 2020. Two years later, incumbent Republican Gov. Bill Lee won reelection by more than 30 points as well, while former President Donald Trump carried the state in both 2016 and 2020 by 26 and 23 points, respectively.

Blackburn is a heavy favorite in her own primary against former Tennessee legislative staffer Tres Wittum, the only challenger to the incumbent Republican.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisc. 

Blackburn also has a significant fundraising advantage over all the state’s senate hopefuls, having close to $9 million cash on hand. Johnson, meanwhile, has raised about $5 million and still has over $2 million on hand.

But Johnson has expressed optimism that Blackburn can be defeated, arguing that Democrats can win by focusing on issues such as abortion, gun control, and the environment.