Eddie DuranFormer Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy reportedly charged three months after deadly shooting US Air Force Roger Fortson.
RELATED: Family seeks answers after Florida sheriff storms wrong apartment, fatally shoots senior pilot Roger Fortson
More details on former Florida sheriff’s allegations
Duran has been charged with manslaughter, NBC News reported, adding that the update was confirmed by Okaloosa County Chief Assistant District Attorney Gregory Anchors.
Furthermore, the paper reported that “manslaughter with a firearm” is punishable by “a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.”
“I hope this will bring about change and teach other people that you can’t kill,” Fortson’s mother, Chantemekki, reportedly told reporters after learning of Duran’s allegations. “Because he should have waited for backup. And investigated a little bit more.”
However, the mother added that the former deputy sheriff’s allegations did not bring her “any peace.”
“It still hurts,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, also shared a statement.
“Nothing can bring Roger back, and our fight is far from over, but we hope that this arrest and these charges will bring true justice to the Fortson family,” he said.
Former Florida sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran has been charged with manslaughter for fatally shooting U.S. Air Force Sergeant Roger Fortson at his apartment in May. If convicted, Duran could face up to 30 years in prison. pic.twitter.com/x1M7h0umYE
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 23, 2024
This is what happened to US pilot Roger Fortson
As The Shade Room previously reported, Fortson, a 23-year-old pilot, was in his Florida apartment when police knocked on his door on May 3. They reportedly entered the wrong apartment after responding to a call about a domestic violence incident.
Furthermore, when Fortson asked if anyone was there, he reportedly received no answer, and it appeared that “someone was covering the peephole” in the door.
Fortson was reportedly on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend when he went to get his gun out of concern for his safety. When he returned to the door, police burst in and opened fire. The 23-year-old was also reportedly shot six times.
Days later, police body camera footage of the incident was released.
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden announced Duran’s firing on May 31, according to NBC News.
“The objective facts of the administrative investigation concluded that Mr. Fortson did not engage in any hostile, offensive action, and therefore the former deputy sheriff’s use of deadly force was objectively unreasonable… This tragic incident should never have happened,” Aden was reported to have said at the time.
As of Friday afternoon, Duran had not yet turned himself in to authorities, the source added.
The Fortson family recently experienced another tragedy.
As The Shade Room previously reported, the Fortson family also suffered another tragedy when Roger passed away. On July 31, the body of Roger’s younger brother, Andre, was reportedly discovered in Dekalb, Georgia.
Andre was reportedly shot dead in a gunfight between “two groups of people,” according to NBC News.
RELATED: Pray! Teen Dies of Gunfire Months After Police Killed His Brother, Pilot Roger Fortson
What do you think, roommate?
