The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson at his apartment on May 3 has been fired, the sheriff’s office announced on Friday. Deputy Eddie Duran was fired after an administrative investigation found his use of deadly force was “not objectionably reasonable,” a news release from the sheriff’s office says.
“The objective facts of the administrative investigation concluded that Mr. Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable under OSCO’s [Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office] policy,” the news release says.
The sheriff’s office also continues to dispute allegations from Fortson’s family and their attorney that Duran went to the wrong apartment in response to a call about a physical disturbance at the apartment complex, according to the news release.
Duran’s body camera recorded what happened when the sheriff’s deputy knocked Fortson’s apartment door.
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When Fortson opened the door, he was holding a pistol at his side. Duran quickly fired at Fortson at least five times. After Fortson fell to the floor, Duran repeatedly yelled, “Drop the gun!”
The entire incident, from the moment Fortson begins to open his door to Duran firing and Fortson falling to the floor,took about five seconds.
The internal investigation that led to Duran’s dismissal was separate from an ongoing criminal investigation being carried out by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The sheriff’s office posted on Friday that its policy only allows deputies to use deadly force under a specific set of conditions: “When the officer reasonably believes that the action is in defense of human life, including the officer’s own life, or in defense of any person in imminent danger of serious physical injury.”
The policy also defines “deadly force resistance” as when a person carries out attacking movements – both with and without a weapon – that persuade a law enforcement officer that this person intends to kill or cause great bodily harm to the officer or other people.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office announced that its internal affairs investigation had concluded that when Fortson opened the door to his apartment, he was holding a handgun that was pointed at the ground to an extent that Duran could see the rear face of the rear sight.
“The former deputy confirmed Mr. Fortson did not physically resist him in any way, and the investigation concluded that Mr. Fortson did not point the gun in the former deputy’s direction,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Fortson, 23, was a Special Missions Aviator with the 4th Special Operations Squadron assigned to the squadron’s AC-130J gunships at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Hundreds of airmen attended his funeral and several Air Force bases around the country have held memorial events in recent weeks.
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