The family of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, who was fatally shot in his own apartment by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in May 2024, has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against former Deputy Eddie Duran, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the apartment complex where Fortson lived.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump—known for representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Michael Brown—announced the lawsuit during a press conference alongside Fortson’s family on May 6 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Crump argues that Duran used “excessive and unconstitutional deadly force” and that both the sheriff’s office and apartment management contributed to Fortson’s death through failures in training, supervision, and misinformation.
Fortson, a 23-year-old Black special missions aviator assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, was alone in his apartment on May 3, 2024, video-chatting with his girlfriend when Duran knocked on his door. Duran was responding to a domestic disturbance report that turned out to be false.
Bodycam footage shows that after repeated knocking, Fortson opened the door while holding his legally-owned handgun at his side, pointed toward the ground. Within a second, Duran shouted “Step back!” and then opened fire—striking Fortson multiple times before yelling “Drop the gun!” Fortson died on the floor of his own home.
Fortson’s mother, Meka Fortson, said during the press conference, “I want accountability because he was 23. I want accountability because he had a life ahead of him. I want accountability because he was in his own home.”
Crump emphasized Fortson’s right to bear arms, saying, “He had a right to the Second Amendment too—to protect his home, to protect his castle. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
A Pattern of Missteps and Discipline
The lawsuit also raises questions about why Eddie Duran was ever allowed back on duty. Duran began his law enforcement career as a military police officer in the U.S. Army and was hired by an Oklahoma police department in 2015 after his discharge. He joined the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in 2019, resigned two years later, and then rejoined the department in 2023.
During his first stint with the sheriff’s office, Duran was reprimanded for failing to verify the addresses of three registered sex offenders as required. He was also disciplined while serving as a school resource officer for leaving the campus before the school day ended—violating Florida’s requirement that an armed guard be present during school hours.
Despite these red flags, Duran was rehired in 2023. Following Fortson’s death, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal investigation and concluded that Duran’s life was not in danger when he fired his weapon. He was subsequently fired.
In an August 2023 statement, the sheriff’s office said it stands by its decision to terminate Duran and has been “fully accountable and transparent” throughout the case.
Criminal Case and Broader Implications
Duran has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter with a firearm. He is currently out on bond, with a pretrial motions hearing set for May 20.
It is rare for law enforcement officers in Florida to be charged for on-duty killings—convictions are even rarer. The shooting has drawn scrutiny to how law enforcement handles calls to apartments where no prior incidents have occurred. Deputies had never been called to Fortson’s apartment before, though records show they had responded to a neighboring unit 10 times in the prior eight months.
“This is not policing,” Crump said. “This is an unlawful execution.”
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