Okaloosa Jury Acquits Former Deputy Eddie Duran of Manslaughter in Killing of Senior Airman Roger Fortson

An Okaloosa County jury on Thursday, Oct. 1, found former sheriff's deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter in the May 2024 shooting death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old Air Force special operations airman who was shot moments after he opened the door of his Fort Walton Beach apartment while holding his legally owned handgun pointed at the floor.

The verdict came after a four-day trial and roughly two hours of deliberation, ending a criminal case that drew national attention, put the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office under scrutiny and became one of the most closely watched police shooting prosecutions in Florida in recent years. Duran faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Fortson's family left the courtroom immediately after the verdict was read, according to WUWF, and spectators protested outside after the decision, according to Mid Bay News.

What happened on May 3, 2024

Duran was dispatched to the Chez Elan apartment complex in Fort Walton Beach on May 3, 2024, in response to a reported domestic disturbance. Fortson, who was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, was alone in his apartment and was on a FaceTime video call with his girlfriend when the deputy arrived. He was not involved in any disturbance.

Body camera footage released by the sheriff's office showed Duran knocking forcefully and announcing the sheriff's office. When Fortson opened the door holding a pistol in his right hand, pointed toward the ground, Duran told him to step back and then opened fire within seconds. Only after Fortson fell did the deputy shout for him to drop the gun, according to an account of the video published by WUSF. Local reporting from the trial described five shots; other accounts have put the number at six. Fortson died at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.

The sheriff's office fired Duran on May 31, 2024, after an internal investigation concluded that Fortson did not point the gun in the deputy's direction and that the use of deadly force violated agency policy. The State Attorney's Office for Florida's 1st Judicial Circuit charged Duran with manslaughter with a firearm in August 2024.

Case timeline

The case moved through more than two years of pretrial litigation before reaching a jury.

How the trial unfolded

Circuit Judge William Stone presided over the trial, which opened with jury selection on Monday, Sept. 28. Stone had earlier rejected Duran's bid for immunity under Florida's self-defense law after a three-day pretrial hearing in August, clearing the way for the case to go before jurors.

Assistant State Attorney Mark Alderman told jurors that Fortson's gun stayed pointed at the ground and that the airman made no aggressive move. In closing, Alderman described Fortson's final moments by saying, "In his last act, he pled not to be shot," according to WUWF.

Defense attorney Rod Smith, a former state senator and former state attorney, argued that Duran perceived an imminent threat when the door opened and he saw a firearm, and that the deputy acted in line with his training. Smith told jurors that officers are not trained to wait until a gun is pointed at them before reacting.

Duran testified in his own defense on Wednesday, Sept. 30. He told jurors he heard a male voice behind the door using profanity and the word police, and that the decision to shoot came when the door opened and, as he described it, the firearm was raised in his direction. "I thought I was dead," Duran testified, according to WEAR. During the August immunity hearing, Duran had said he saw the gun held at roughly a 45-degree angle, while the body camera footage showed it pointed down at Fortson's side.

Judge Stone closed the courtroom to the public while the jury deliberated. Jurors returned the not guilty verdict after about two hours.

Reaction from prosecutors and the family

State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden of the 1st Judicial Circuit issued a statement after the verdict saying her office respects the jury's decision and thanked jurors for their service. Madden said prosecutors brought the case because, after a thorough review, they believed the evidence warranted presentation to a jury, and that they carried out that duty professionally and in good faith.

The statement also said a not guilty verdict means the state did not prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of every juror, and that it does not diminish Fortson's life, service or humanity or the loss suffered by his family, friends and fellow airmen.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Fortson family, said in a statement that the family was heartbroken. Crump said Fortson's life and service "will always matter" and that the family would keep fighting for him as it pursues a civil rights case in federal court and seeks accountability for his death.

Outside the courtroom, supporters of the family voiced anger at the outcome. "We were done wrong today," supporter Deanna Joseph told WUWF.

Why the case resonated beyond the Panhandle

Fortson, who grew up in the Atlanta area, was a Black airman serving at one of the Air Force's main special operations bases, and the shooting quickly drew attention from military families, civil rights groups and gun rights advocates. Critics noted that Fortson was legally armed inside his own home when he answered a knock at his door, a scenario that resonated in a state with broad legal protections for gun owners.

The case also raised questions about the initial information that sent Duran to Fortson's door. Fortson's family and Crump challenged the sheriff's office's early account of the call, and the family's lawsuit alleges that apartment complex staff provided misleading information that led to the deadly response.

For Okaloosa County, home to Hurlburt Field and Eglin Air Force Base, the shooting struck a community closely tied to the military. The firing of Duran less than a month after the shooting, and the decision by state prosecutors to file charges set the case apart from many police shootings, which often end without criminal charges.

The federal civil rights lawsuit

The verdict ends the criminal case, but it does not resolve the family's civil claims. On May 6, 2025, the Fortson family filed a five-count lawsuit in federal court in Pensacola against Sheriff Eric Aden, Duran and others, including the apartment complex and a leasing agent identified only as Jane Doe.

The complaint alleges that Duran used excessive and unconstitutional deadly force and that the sheriff's office failed in its training and supervision of deputies. It brings claims of excessive force, municipal liability, wrongful death and negligence under federal and Florida law. The defendants have not been found liable, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

Civil cases carry a lower burden of proof than criminal prosecutions, so an acquittal on the manslaughter charge does not determine the outcome of the lawsuit.

What's next

With the not guilty verdict, Duran cannot be retried on the state manslaughter charge. Fortson's family and Crump have said they will press forward with the federal lawsuit in Pensacola, which will now become the main legal venue for their claims against the sheriff's office and the other defendants.

The State Attorney's Office has given no indication of further action in the criminal case. Duran, who was fired in May 2024, is no longer employed by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.