Former Okaloosa County deputy Eddie Duran was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson. Despite this charge, Duran was granted bond by Judge Terrance Ketchel. The bond was set at $100,000, and Duran was required not to have contact with Fortson’s family.
Duran turned himself in after the charges were announced, and he is awaiting his trial at the Escambia County jail. The incident occurred when Duran responded to a domestic disturbance call and fatally shot Fortson at his apartment. Fortson’s family and attorneys have disputed Duran’s claim that he was responding to a domestic disturbance at the right apartment and have stated that Fortson was home alone on a video call when he was killed.
The body camera footage shows that Duran knocked on Fortson’s door without identifying himself, and when Fortson answered with a gun pointing to the ground, Duran shot him multiple times. After the shooting, Fortson’s girlfriend recorded a video in which Fortson can be heard saying “I can’t breathe.”
The sheriff’s office initially claimed that Duran acted in self-defense, but an internal investigation concluded that Fortson did not make any hostile movements towards Duran. Sheriff Eric Aden stated that Duran’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Fortson family, called for real justice for the family. While Fortson’s mother welcomed the charges, she stated that it did not bring her comfort as the pain of losing her son still remains.
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