Deputy charged with manslaughter in connection with shooting of Roger Fortson

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A former Florida deputy sheriff has been charged with manslaughter months after the shooting death of 23-year-old Senior Air Force Airman Roger Fortson.

An arrest warrant has been issued against former Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputy Eddie Duran, 38, who shot Fortson in his Fort Walton Beach apartment on May 3, the Florida First District Attorney's Office said.

Fortson answered his door as police responded to a call from his apartment complex, Elan Apartments by ARIUM. The black trooper held a gun at his side pointed at the ground, according to body camera footage released after the incident.

Fortson was at home with his dog and on a video call with his girlfriend when the officer, who identified himself as Hispanic, began banging on the door and yelling, “Sheriff's office, open the door.”

After the officer spotted the firearm, he fired six shots, striking Fortson. The officer then yelled at him to “drop the gun.” Fortson responded, “It's over there,” and said, “I don't have it.”

Duran is not in custody. Officials are waiting for him to turn himself in to police. If convicted, he faces 30 years in prison. Duran's lawyer did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment.

After the incident, Ben Crump, who represents Fortson's family, claimed that officers went to the wrong residence and did not answer. The sheriff's office contradicted that statement.

Duran was initially placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation into the matter continued. He was later terminated from his position. The deputy first joined the sheriff's office in 2019 and resigned in November 2021 before returning in June 2023.

In a statement released Friday, sheriff's office authorities said Duran's use of force was “objectively not appropriate” after the investigation found the trooper “did not make any hostile attack movements.”

“We wish Mr. Fortson's family continued comfort and peace as the criminal proceedings against the former deputy continue,” the statement said Friday.

In a statement released by Crump's office after the announcement, Fortson's family said, “This is the first step toward justice for the family of Roger Fortson. Nothing can ever bring Roger back and our fight is far from over, but we are confident that this arrest and this indictment will lead to real justice for the Fortson family.”

About two months after Fortson's death, his 16-year-old brother Andre Fortson died in a shootout between two gangs in the Atlanta area.