Authorities arrest ex-sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a Black airman at his home
A former Florida sheriff’s deputy is accused of murdering a Black American Air Force Soldier who opened his apartment door while pointing a gun at the floor was arrested Monday, authorities said.
Former Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran, 38, has been charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in the May 3 shooting death of 23-year-old Roger Fortson, Assistant District Attorney Greg Marcille announced Friday. The charge is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Duran was booked into the county jail Monday, records show. Marcille confirmed his arrest to The Associated Press.
“He did turn himself in,” Marcille said in a telephone interview, adding that Duran’s first court appearance will be via video link Tuesday morning. “He will be held in custody pending his first appearance.”
An attorney representing Duran did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Authorities said Duran was called to Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach apartment after a report of domestic violence turned out to be untrue.
After knocking repeatedly, Fortson opened the door, holding his gun at his side and pointing it downward. Authorities say Duran shot him multiple times; only then did he tell Fortson to drop the gun.
On Friday, the day the charges were announced, candles and framed photos of Fortson in uniform stood outside the apartment where he was killed.
According to the internal affairs report into the shooting, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the pilot’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”
Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran on May 31 after an internal investigation found that his life was not in danger when he opened fire. External law enforcement experts have also said that an officer should not shoot just because a potential suspect is holding a weapon, if there is no threat.
Duran is a law enforcement veteran who began his career as a military police officer in the Army. He joined the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in July 2019, but resigned two years later when his wife, a nurse, was transferred to a Navy hospital outside the area. He rejoined the sheriff’s office in June 2023.
Okaloosa’s personnel records show that in 2021, he was reprimanded for failing to complete an assignment to confirm the addresses of three registered sex offenders by visiting their homes and telling a colleague he didn’t care about them. He was then assigned to a high school as a deputy principal, and that year he was also disciplined for leaving school before the final bell and students were dismissed. Florida law requires an armed guard to be on campus when classes are in session.
911 call records show that officers had never been called to Fortson’s apartment before, but they had been called to a nearby unit 10 times in the past eight months, including once for a domestic dispute.
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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida. Martin reported from Atlanta.