A Florida jury recently found former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the fatal shooting of Roger Fortson, a Black US air force airman who was killed inside his apartment after authorities responded to an unfounded report of a domestic disturbance.
An Okaloosa county jury acquitted Duran, 38, on Thursday after about two hours of deliberations. He had faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Duran, who is Hispanic, was an Okaloosa county sheriff’s deputy in May 2024 when he was sent to Fortson’s apartment in Fort Walton Beach where Fortson – originally from Atlanta – was stationed.
Authorities have said Duran was directed to the apartment after a report of a domestic disturbance that turned out to be false.
After Duran repeatedly knocked on the door, Fortson answered while holding a handgun at his side with the weapon pointed toward the ground. Authorities say Duran fired multiple times before telling Fortson to drop the gun. The encounter was captured on the deputy’s body camera.
Thursday’s verdict came after a four-day trial.
One day after Duran was acquitted, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that Fortson’s family would continue its legal fight and vowed to “seek accountability” through the civil court system for the 2024 shooting.
While the criminal prosecution has ended with Duran’s acquittal, a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Fortson’s family remains pending.
“Roger’s life and his service will always matter,” Crump said in a statement on Friday. “His family will keep fighting for him, and we will stand with them as they pursue their civil rights case in federal court and seek accountability for the tragic loss of his life.”
Duran was fired from the Okaloosa sheriff’s office after killing Fortson. His defense attorney argued that the former deputy was “doing his job” and said Fortson would still be alive if he had not armed himself before answering the door.
Fortson’s mother, Chantemekki Fortson, told the Atlanta news outlet WXIA she was unsurprised by the verdict, citing the speed of the jury’s deliberations. “They went to deliberate for just two hours,” she said. “So, again, I wasn’t surprised.”
She also said the trial forced her to face details surrounding her son’s death that she had spent the previous two years trying to avoid.
“Now I can’t do that,” she told WXIA. “Like he’s really gone.
“He’s never coming back. He’s never gonna say, ‘Mom, what you doing? Mom, you wanna go get something to eat? Mom, you need do your hair.’ Like I’m never going to hear my baby’s voice no more.”
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