Roger Fortson: Florida deputy who killed black man in his home fired, sheriff says

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The Florida sheriff's deputy who fatally shot a black airman in his home has been fired, the sheriff's office announced Friday.

The move follows an internal investigation into former deputy Eddie Duran. This is the first time Duran's identity has been publicly revealed since the shooting earlier this month. A separate criminal investigation into the deputy's actions is ongoing with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“The administrative investigation determined that the deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable and therefore violated agency policy,” said an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s press release. Desk declared.

Deputies went to an apartment on May 3 after receiving a call about “a disturbance in progress,” Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden said in an earlier statement.

According to the internal investigation, a woman at the complex reported to the deputy a disturbance in apartment 1401 that she said was “getting out of control.”

Body camera footage shows shortly after Roger Fortson opened the apartment door, the deputy in the video says “back up” before firing his gun. Fortson stood in the doorway with his hands down and a gun in his right hand.

Five gunshots can be heard in the footage. Fortson was pronounced dead at a hospital.

In an interview with investigators, Duran claimed Fortson's arm was “slightly tilted, meaning it wasn't straight.” He described it as being “so that his arm was slightly raised.”

But the investigation decided otherwise. According to the statement released as part of the internal affairs investigation, “the firearm was pointed sufficiently toward the ground that the former deputy could clearly see the rear side of the sight” and “the investigation concluded that Mr. Fortson did not point the gun.” gun aimed at the former deputy.

“This tragic incident should never have happened,” Aden said in a statement released Friday. “The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions. Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional aviator and individual.

The lawyer for Roger Fortson's family said that while they were pleased with the MP's dismissal, they were calling for more to be done.

In a statement to CNN on Friday, attorney Ben Crump said: “This deputy's actions were not only negligent, they were criminal. »

“While the criminal investigation is still ongoing, we fully anticipate that charges will be filed against this officer. The video footage provides overwhelming evidence that this was a brutal and senseless murder of a young man who was simply spending time alone with his dog while video chatting with his girlfriend,” the statement concluded.

Crump and Fortson's family believe law enforcement went to the wrong apartment. Fortson was on the phone with his girlfriend before the shooting and was alone. No physical altercation took place in his apartment.

The internal investigation appears to show that Duran was asked to go to Fortson's apartment by someone at the apartment complex.

Duran was hired by the sheriff's office in July 2019 and resigned in November 2021 to move out of state with his wife, according to the investigation. He rejoined the Sheriff's Office in June 2023. He was aware of his response to training sessions on resistance, firearms, active assailants, active shooters and domestic violence. His last firearms training was in September 2023, according to the investigation.

CNN has reached out to Duran's attorney for comment.

Christina Maxouris, Shawn Nottingham, Melissa Alonso and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional information.