A Florida sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Air Force special operations Senior Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment in May will face a manslaughter charge, according to the family’s attorney.
Natalie Jackson, a lawyer for the Fortson family and a member of civil rights attorney Ben Crump’s legal team, confirmed to Military.com on Friday that she had been informed by the local state attorney’s office that former Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran will be charged in connection with Fortson’s death.
“This decision marks the first step toward justice for the family of Roger Fortson,” Crump said in a statement to Military.com. “Nothing can ever bring Roger back, and our fight is far from over, but we are hopeful that these charges will result in a conviction and real justice for the Fortson family.”
Crump said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Duran could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Fortson, who was stationed at Hurlburt Field, was shot six times by Duran on May 3 when the officer responded to a call at the 23-year-old’s apartment complex. Duran began firing shortly after Fortson opened his door when the deputy saw the airman had his legally owned firearm to his side and pointed toward the floor.
Duran, an Army veteran, was fired in late May after an internal affairs investigation determined that his “use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable and therefore violated agency policy.”
The Office of State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida said in a press release issued Friday that the former deputy was being charged with “one count of manslaughter with a firearm” and that there was a warrant issued for his arrest.
“This charge arises from an incident on May 3, 2024, that resulted in the shooting death of Roger Fortson,” the release said.
In a Friday statement titled “Indictment of Eddie Duran,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said the department “has been fully accountable and transparent in its compliance with statutory requirements, providing numerous public statements, making accessible the available body-worn camera footage and other related records, meeting with Mr. Fortson’s family and legal counsel, and communicating openly with the U.S. Air Force and our community at-large.”
Fortson’s death sent grief throughout the military community and led to a major outpouring of support from Air Force Special Operations Command. In the wake of his death, members of the command attended his funeral and held a public forum, where Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden received tough questions and criticisms from airmen.
Spokespeople from the Department of the Air Force and Air Force Special Operations Command did not provide comment on the charges, but the service typically doesn’t issue statements related to ongoing investigations or criminal cases.
Last week, Fortson’s family and Crump held a press conference expressing concerns for delays in the investigation and questioning whether Duran would be charged, as Aden was facing an election. He was reelected to another term this week.
Body camera footage of Fortson’s death, dispatch logs and other files released by the sheriff’s office and obtained by Military.com revealed the seemingly vague second- and third-hand information that brought Duran to Fortson’s door as he was investigating an alleged disturbance.
The findings from the internal investigation that led to Duran’s removal from the force said that he went to the right unit, where a disturbance was reportedly underway — despite the airman being alone in the apartment on a video call with his girlfriend before his death.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional comment from the Office of State Attorney.
Related: Family of Airman Fatally Shot by Florida Deputy Decry Delay in Criminal Charges
