A former Florida sheriff鈥檚 deputy charged with killing a who answered his apartment door while holding a gun pointed toward the ground was arrested Monday, officials said.
Former Okaloosa County deputy Eddie Duran, 38, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm in the May 3 shooting death of 23-year-old Roger Fortson, Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille announced Friday. The charge is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Duran was booked into the county jail Monday, records show. Marcille confirmed his arrest to The Associated Press.
鈥淗e did, in fact, turn himself in,鈥� Marcille said in a telephone interview, adding that Duran's initial court appearance will be via video link Tuesday morning. 鈥淗e will be held in custody pending his initial appearance.鈥�
An attorney representing Duran did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Authorities say Duran had been directed to Fortson鈥檚 Fort Walton Beach apartment in response to a domestic disturbance report that turned out to be false.
After repeated knocking, Fortson opened the door while holding his handgun at his side, pointed down. Authorities say that Duran shot him multiple times; only then did he tell Fortson to drop the gun.
On Friday, the day the charge was announced, candles and framed photos of Fortson in uniform graced the doorway of the apartment where he was killed.
According to the internal affairs report of the shooting, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman鈥檚 eyes. He said he fired because, 鈥淚鈥檓 standing there thinking I鈥檓 about to get shot, I鈥檓 about to die.鈥�
Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden after an internal investigation concluded his life was not in danger when he opened fire. have also said that an officer cannot shoot only because a possible suspect is holding a gun if there is no threat.
Duran is a law enforcement veteran, starting as a military police officer in the Army. He joined the Okaloosa County sheriff鈥檚 office in July 2019, but resigned two years later, saying his wife, a nurse, had been transferred to a Naval hospital out of the area. He rejoined the sheriff鈥檚 office in June 2023.
Okaloosa personnel records show he was reprimanded in 2021 for not completing his assignment to confirm the addresses of three registered sex offenders by visiting their homes, telling a colleague he didn鈥檛 care about them. Then assigned to a high school as its on-campus deputy, he was also disciplined that year for leaving the school before the final bell and the students鈥� departure. Florida law requires that an armed guard be on campus when class is in session.
Records of 911 calls show deputies had never been called to Fortson鈥檚 apartment previously but they had been summoned to a nearby unit 10 times in the previous eight months, including once for a domestic disturbance.
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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida. Martin reported from Atlanta.
Curt Anderson And Jeff Martin, The Associated Press
