A jury found former Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter today, for the 2024 killing of Senior Airman Roger Fortson.
On May 3, 2024, Duran responded to a call at Fortson’s apartment which he believed was a possible domestic violence case. He was unaware Fortson was alone in his apartment.
Duran first knocked on Fortson’s door without identifying himself as law enforcement. He then knocked a second and third time, identifying himself but stepping behind a wall for concealment.
When Fortson finally opened his door after the third knock, he held a handgun with his finger outside the trigger chamber, aiming downward at the ground.
Within two seconds of Fortson opening the door, Duran shot him five times in the chest, arm and hand. EMS transported Fortson to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries the same day.
The jury decided unanimously around 3 p.m. today that Duran was justified in killing Fortson.
After hearing the verdict, spectators gathered to protest outside the Okaloosa County Courthouse Annex Extension.
Local advocate Nick Smith thought the all-White jury selection failed Fortson and his family.
“The jury selection pool consisted of over 120 Okaloosa County residents, and the races were mixed,” Smith said. “There was not just a white jury pool. I have never in my life personally addressed, firsthand, how race played a factor in the judicial process.”
He also believed jurors ruled based on false evidence.
“The so-called expert witnesses are paid to lie. They do not reflect any of what the evidence showed.”
Another spectator, a bereaved mother who attended to support the Fortson family, shared her thoughts while holding a “Black Lives Matter” banner.
“Senior Airman Roger Fortson, he fought for his country,” she said. “He was a good soldier that stood for his country. He hid the weapons of this country to protect us, and this is what he gets. This is the respect he gets. If nobody else does it today for you, Senior Airman Roger Fortson, I salute you.”
