Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from BlackMansStreet.Today
(Trice Edney Wire/Black Mans Street) – A Florida sheriff on Friday fired a deputy who shot and killed a Black airman with the U.S. Air Force in his apartment, saying the use of deadly force was not reasonable.
The Okaloosa Sheriff fired deputy Eddie Duran, but it is still unclear if he will charged in the May 3 killing of Roger Fortson, 23, of Fort Walton Beach.
This concludes the sheriff’s investigation, but there is still an ongoing investigation involving the state of Florida.
“This tragic incident should have never occurred,” said Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden. “The objective facts do not support using deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions.”
The sheriff added: “Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional airman and individual.”
This mirrors the same thing Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz also said about the fatal shooting by Duran.
“The killing of Airman Roger Fortson in my community continues to be a source of deep sadness. As the investigation continues, I think one thing is clear from the body cam and should be stated unequivocally: Roger did not deserve to die. He did nothing wrong,” Gaetz said (May 13, 2024).
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Fortson’s family, said in a statement that the firing was a step in the right direction but that “it is not full justice for Roger and his family. The actions of this deputy were not just negligent, they were criminal.”
“While the criminal investigation is still ongoing, we fully anticipate charges to be filed against this officer. The video footage provides damning proof that this was a brutal and senseless killing of a young man who was simply enjoying time alone with his dog while video chatting with his girlfriend.
He mentioned other Black men and women who have been gunned down in their homes, which are supposed to be sanctuaries.
“Just as we did for Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, and Breonna Taylor, we will continue to fight for full justice and accountability for Roger Fortson, as well as every other innocent Blackman and woman gunned down by law enforcement in the presumed safety of their own home,” Crump said.
Fortson was shot to death in his apartment after answering the door. Duran shot him five times, killing him.
Forston was armed with a legally procured gun, but it was not aimed at Duran; it was pointed at the ground.
Fortson lived in an off-base residence, and his special operations squadron at Hurlburt Field in the Florida panhandle flies AC-130J Ghostrider gunships.
A woman reported to the police that fighting between a man and a woman was taking place inside Fortson’s apartment 1401, and there were children in the apartment.
No children lived in Fortson’s apartment; it is unclear how the unnamed woman got her information.
Crump said there was no disturbance and that Fortson was home alone on a video call with his girlfriend, who reported the airman heard a knock on the door.
According to the witness, Fortson asked, “Who is it?” But he didn’t receive an answer.
After a subsequent “aggressive” second knock and seeing no one through the peephole, Fortson grabbed his legally owned gun, Crump detailed.
