Family Attorney Demands Charges for Former Deputy Who Shot and Killed Roger Fortson

Christopher Saul
August 16, 2024
1:22 pm
Crime, Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County

In Brief:

105 days have passed since Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran fatally shot Senior Airman Roger Fortson in Fort Walton Beach.
Fortson family attorney Ben Crump demands that State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden charge Duran, criticizing the delay as potentially politically motivated.
Crump highlighted other cases where charges were swiftly made, expressing frustration over the lack of action in Fortson’s case despite video evidence.

105 days have passed since the shooting death of Roger Fortson in the doorway of his apartment unit in Fort Walton Beach by now-fired Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran.

Duran’s Body Camera of the killing shows Fortson answer his door with a gun in his right hand, pointed toward the ground. The recording shows Duran shooting Fortson – and the aftermath of the shooting.

Fortson family attorney Ben Crump says the moonths they have waited are too many. He held a press conference and Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Walton Beach to demand State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden charge Duran in the 23-year-old Senior Airman’s death.

“Normally, historically, for black people in America, when they delay, delay, delay – that tells us they tried to sweep this under the rug,” Crump told a gathered audience of about 100, “That tells they tried to sweep it under the rug – and we ain’t going to let them sweep it under the rug, are we? We aren’t going to let them get away with the murder of this good young man, are we?”

Justice Delayed is Justice Politicized?

Crump added in his press conference that he received word from Greg Anchors at the State Attorney’s Office that the decision about whether or not to charge Duran with a crime would be released on August 23 – the Friday after the Primary Elections.

When asked whether or not he believed the alleged timing of the decision was political – Crump said, “Use your common sense. We don’t know what the prerogative of the State Attorney’s Office, but you all live in this community, you can all make decisions with more intelligence than we can.”

Either way, for the Fortson family and their attorney – the wheels of justice seem to move too slowly in this instance. “Mika (Fortson’s Mother) and Roger (Fortson’s Father), they talk a lot about ‘when are we going to get justice? When are we going to get justice?’ And they have watched tragedies that happened after their son was killed, like Sonia Massey, the sister who was shot in the face after she said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. And it was on video, and in one week, they arrested and charged the officer that shot her,” Crump continued, “They started working with the family Devonte Mitchell in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who was killed by the security guards at the Hyatt Hotel, and it was on video, and after a month, they was charged with his death, and now it’s going on three months, three months, three months, and we’re still waiting.We got a video too.”

Deputy Sean Grayson was charged with Massey’s murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct according to NBC News.

CBS News reports four men were arrested and charged with the killing of D’Vontaye Mitchell in July.

Mid Bay News has contacted the office of State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden regarding this case. We will update this story if and when the State Attorney’s Office returns our request for comment on the issue.