The firing of the Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot an Air Force airman in the doorway of his home does not bring justice for the mother of the victim.
Chantemekki Fortson, accompanied by her attorney Ben Crump, spoke at a news conference in Atlanta. Crump stated that the firing of Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran was a positive step forward. However, he also emphasized the need for Duran to face charges in the killing of Senior Airman Roger Fortson.
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Sheriff Eric Aden terminated Duran’s employment on Friday, approximately one month after Duran fatally shot Roger Fortson. The incident occurred when Duran was responding to a domestic violence call and was directed to Fortson’s apartment.
Chantemekki Fortson expressed disappointment that Duran’s termination is not sufficient and believes it should have occurred earlier.
She expressed her disappointment with the firing, stating, “Let’s be clear, that is not justice. That’s you thinking you’re throwing me a bone and I’m OK with it. I’m not OK with it. I’m not OK with it.”
Duran, a Hispanic deputy, shot Fortson, a 23-year-old Black man, multiple times on May 3. The incident occurred just two seconds after Fortson opened his door while legally holding a handgun pointed down, as captured by the deputy’s body camera footage.
The internal affairs investigation conducted by the sheriff has found that Mr. Fortson did not exhibit any hostile or aggressive behavior. As a result, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was deemed unreasonable. Experts from outside the law enforcement community have further emphasized that an officer cannot justify shooting someone solely based on the fact that they are armed, without any actual threat being present.
Duran has not responded to multiple voicemails left at a phone number listed as his. His lawyer, John Whitaker, has also not replied to several phone messages seeking comment.
According to the internal affairs report, Duran explained to investigators that upon seeing the aggression in the airman’s eyes when Fortson opened the door, he felt a sense of impending danger. In that moment, Duran made the split-second decision to fire his weapon, driven by the fear that he was about to be shot and killed.
“It’s a matter of him or me now, and I need to take action instead of just reacting,” he informed investigators.
According to the sheriff’s office, Duran’s personnel records indicate that he requested a change from full-time to part-time duty four days prior to the shooting due to “family hardships.”
After a gap of 11 months, he rejoined the sheriff’s office. He had previously served there from 2019 to 2021 but had to leave when his wife, a registered nurse, was relocated to a Naval hospital in a different region.
Fortson served as a special missions aviator on an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship with the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, which was located nearby.
Duran was sent to Fortson’s apartment complex by a manager who had reported a domestic disturbance. The manager guided Duran to Fortson’s fourth-floor unit, even though Fortson lived alone and had no guests at the time. Fortson was engrossed in a video game and talking to his girlfriend on a video call when the deputy knocked on the door. Fortson’s girlfriend informed investigators that there had been no argument between them.
Duran stood silently outside Fortson’s door, listening intently for any voices for a full 20 seconds. However, no sounds from inside were captured on his body camera.
Without identifying himself, he forcefully knocked on the door and positioned himself at a distance of approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters) from the door. His reasoning behind this approach was the concern that the person inside could either shoot through the door or open it and push him over the railing, causing him to fall approximately 40 feet (12 meters) to the ground below.
After a 15-second pause, he forcefully pounded on the door once more, this time shouting, “Sheriff’s office – open the door!” As before, he positioned himself to the side. In the video, a faint voice can be heard, with Duran mentioning that he heard someone cursing at the police.
Less than 10 seconds later, Duran swiftly positioned himself in front of the door and pounded on it once again, making his presence known.
According to Fortson’s girlfriend, the airman inquired about the presence of someone at the door but received no response. Fortson then informed her that he had no intention of answering the door since nobody usually visits his apartment. Neither of them heard the deputy identify himself as being from the sheriff’s office.
After the third knock, Fortson informed her, “I’ll go get my gun because I don’t know who that is.”
As Fortson opened the door, he held his gun pointed towards the ground. Duran quickly ordered him to step back, and without hesitation, began firing. Fortson was knocked backward, landing on the floor.
The deputy shouted, “Drop the gun!”
