Deputy Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Airman Roger Fortson

An Okaloosa County jury found former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter on Thursday, closing the criminal case over the 2024 shooting of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson. The verdict came after about two hours of deliberation at the end of a four-day trial. Duran, 38, faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

The shooting happened on May 3, 2024. Duran went to Fortson’s apartment in Fort Walton Beach after a report of an argument and a possible domestic dispute. Authorities later determined the domestic disturbance report was false. Fortson, 23, was alone in his apartment and on the phone with his girlfriend at the time.

Body camera video released by the sheriff’s office shows Duran knocking on the door and identifying himself as being with the sheriff’s office. When Fortson opened the door, he held a legally owned handgun pointed toward the floor. Duran told Fortson to step back, then fired multiple times at close range. Fortson died later at a hospital.

State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said her office respected the jury’s verdict and thanked the jurors for their service. “Our prosecutors brought this case because, after a thorough review, we believed the evidence warranted presentation to a jury,” she said. “They fulfilled their independent duty professionally and in good faith under our system of justice.” Her office urged the public to respond “peacefully” to the verdict.

Duran’s attorney, Rod Smith, said the former deputy was “doing his job” that day. Smith argued that Duran perceived an imminent threat when Fortson answered the door with a gun, that he acted according to his training, and that he fired in self-defense. Smith said Fortson would still be alive had he not armed himself before opening the door.

A month after the shooting, Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran. The sheriff said Duran’s use of deadly force was not reasonable, and an internal investigation found the use of force was “not objectively reasonable.”

Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney who represents Fortson’s family, vowed on Friday to “seek accountability” beyond the criminal case. Crump has won multimillion-dollar settlements for the families of other Black people killed by police, including $27 million from the city of Minneapolis for the 2020 killing of George Floyd and $12 million from the city of Louisville for the death of Breonna Taylor.

The shooting was national news in 2024 and fueled debate over race and police use of force. Fortson had ties to the Atlanta area and was stationed at Hurlburt Field in Florida.