“This tragic incident should never have occurred,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement.
The family of a United States airman who was shot to death by a Florida sheriff’s deputy inside of his own home has filed a civil rights lawsuit.
According to CNN, the complaint was filed earlier this week in a Penascola courthouse.
In the lawsuit, attorneys for the family of Senior Airman Roger Fortson say that Deputy Eddie Duran used excessive, disproportionate, and unconstitutional force when he chose to draw his service weapon and open fire.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Eddie Duran, the Elan Apartments complex where Fortson lived, and a leasing agent identified by the pseudonym “Jane Doe.”
Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, is representing Fortson’s family.
“Roger Fortson was a proud service member, a loving son, and a young man with his whole life ahead of him. He deserved to feel safe in his own home,” Crump said in a statement. “Instead, he was killed where he should have been safest, based on hearsay and bias. This lawsuit is about justice for Roger and accountability for those responsible for his needless death.”
The lawsuit recalls the events leading up to Fortson’s death.
In 2024, somebody in or near Fortson’s apartment building called the police to report a loud argument and potential domestic violence. After Duran arrived to Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach complex, a local worker identified his home as the source of the disturbance.
However, Fortson wasn’t having an argument with anyone—he was home alone in his apartment and talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime when Duran began pounding on the door.
“Sheriff’s office—open the door!” Duran can be heard yelling in a bodycam recording.
Fortson, who had no reason to expect law enforcement at his home, opened the door with a legally-purchased firearm in one hand, with the barrel pointing toward the floor.
Duran told Fortson to “step back,” then immediately began firing.
After Fortson’s body collapsed on the ground, the deputy told him to “drop the gun.”
CNN notes that deputies had never been called to Fortson’s apartment before for any reason—but they had been called to a nearby unit more than 10 times in the previous eight months, including at least one incident involving domestic violence.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office fired Duran after the incident.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said that the results of an internal investigation showed that Duran had violated department policy by opening fire when his life was not in danger.
“This tragic incident should never have occurred,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said.
“The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions,” he said. “Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional airman and individual.”
Duran is currently facing a criminal charge of manslaughter in connection with Fortson’s death.
Sources
Civil rights lawsuit filed in Florida deputy’s killing of US Airman Roger Fortson
Civil rights lawsuit filed over killing of U.S. Airman Roger Fortson by Florida deputy
Family of US airman from Atlanta killed in Florida filing lawsuit
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