A former Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a U.S. Air Force member in his home has been arrested after being charged in the death last week.
Eddie Duran, 38, was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter with a firearm in the death of Roger Fortson, 23, but was not taken into custody at the time.
The incident last May occurred when Mr. Duran attempted to enter Fortson’s home while responding to a domestic disturbance call at his apartment complex.
If convicted, the felony charge against the former police officer carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Fortson was killed at his home, located 5 miles from the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, where he was based.
Body camera footage released after the shooting showed police being led to an elevator in the Fortson apartment complex by a witness who said he heard fighting coming from an apartment.
The deputy then approached Fortson’s front door alone, knocked and yelled twice that he was a member of the “sheriff’s office.”
Fortson was seen holding a gun in his right hand as he opened the door. The officer then fired several shots as soon as the door opened, then ordered him to drop the gun.
Chantemekki Fortson, the officer’s mother, said at a news conference after the charges were announced Friday that she hoped “this will bring about change and teach others that you can’t just kill people.”
It was unclear Monday evening whether Mr. Duran was represented by a lawyer.
Weeks after the shooting, Mr. Duran was fired from the Oskaloosa County Sheriff’s Office following an internal investigation.
In announcing the decision, Sheriff Eric Aden said the investigation concluded that Fortson “did not make any hostile or offensive movements” and that “Mr. Duran’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable.”
Ben Crump, an attorney representing Forton’s family, said that at the time of the shooting, Fortson was home alone on a video call with a friend.
Fortson, who had no criminal record, had been on active duty since 2019.
He was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron, according to the U.S. Air Force.
