Roger Fortson (U.S. Air Force)
ATLANTA - A former Florida sheriff’s deputy has been acquitted of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, whose death in 2024 drew national attention.
What we know:
An Okaloosa County jury found 38-year-old Eddie Duran not guilty Thursday of manslaughter with a firearm, according to The Associated Press. Duran had faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Fortson, 23, had ties to metro Atlanta and was stationed at Hurlburt Field in Florida when he was killed.
What happened
The backstory:
Duran was an Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy when he responded to Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach apartment on May 3, 2024, for a reported domestic disturbance.
Authorities later determined the domestic disturbance report was false. Fortson was alone in his apartment and talking on the phone with his girlfriend at the time.
Body camera video showed Duran knocking on the apartment door and identifying himself as being with the sheriff’s office. When Fortson opened the door, he was holding a legally owned handgun pointed toward the floor.
Duran told Fortson to step back and then fired multiple times. Fortson later died at a hospital.
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Duran maintained that he acted in self-defense. His attorney, Rod Smith, argued that Duran perceived an imminent threat when Fortson answered the door with a gun and that the deputy acted according to his training.
Duran was later fired after an internal investigation by the sheriff’s office determined his life was not in danger when he opened fire.
Prosecutors respond to verdict
The State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s First Judicial Circuit said it respected the jury’s decision.
Prosecutors said the verdict means the state did not prove the manslaughter charge beyond a reasonable doubt to every juror. The office said it believed the evidence warranted bringing the case before a jury while also emphasizing the importance of independent review when law enforcement officers use deadly force.
Who was Roger Fortson?
Fortson served as a missions operator with the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field. He was part of an AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew.
Fortson also had connections to the Atlanta area. His funeral was held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb County in May 2024.
Family pursuing civil lawsuit
The criminal case is separate from a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Fortson’s family against Duran, former Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden and others.
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Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, said the verdict was difficult for Fortson’s loved ones.
"This is a painful moment for everyone who loved Roger Fortson," Crump said following the verdict.
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