The Florida deputy who shot and killed Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old Black airman, has been charged with manslaughter, authorities said Friday.
Eddie Duran was fired from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office after he shot Fortson, a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force, on May 3.
Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said manslaughter with a firearm is a felony charge that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Marcille added that a warrant has been issued for Duran’s arrest, but the former deputy is not in custody.
“This decision marks the first step towards justice for the family of Roger Fortson,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Fortson’s family, said Friday.
Duran was responding to a call of a domestic dispute May 3 when he arrived at the apartment complex Fortson lived in. The airman was alone in his apartment the night of the shooting.
When Fortson heard someone knocking on his door, he asked who was at the door but didn’t get a response. When Duran knocked again, Crump said, the airman was unable to see anyone when he looked out the peephole, so he retained his legally owned gun and opened the door.
Body camera footage released in May showed Duran shooting Fortson six times, just seconds after he opened the door holding his gun. According to a witness who Crump said was on FaceTime with Fortson during the shooting, the airman fell to the ground after he was shot, saying, “I can’t breathe.”
He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Friday’s announcement follows Fortson’s family demanding transparency for months and just this week calling for Duran to face charges.
“Nothing can ever bring Roger back, and our fight is far from over, but we are hopeful that this arrest and these charges will result in real justice for the Fortson family,” Crump said Friday.
“Let this be a reminder to law enforcement officers everywhere that they swore a solemn oath to protect and defend, and their actions have consequences, especially when it results in the loss of life.”