Former Florida deputy acquitted of manslaughter in killing of US airman Roger Fortson

An Okaloosa County jury has acquitted former Florida sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran of manslaughter with a firearm in the 2024 shooting of U.S. Air Force airman Roger Fortson.

Jurors returned the not-guilty verdict on Thursday after more than two hours of deliberations. Duran, 38, had faced up to 30 years in prison.

Fortson, 23, was alone in his Fort Walton Beach apartment and on the phone with his girlfriend on 3 May 2024 when Duran responded to a report of a domestic disturbance. The Black airman answered the door holding a legally owned handgun, which body-camera footage showed was pointed at the ground; Duran fired almost immediately. The deputy was fired weeks later, and an internal affairs investigation concluded his use of deadly force “was not objectively reasonable”. More than two years passed before the case reached trial.

State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said prosecutors respected the verdict and thanked the jurors: a not-guilty verdict means the state did not prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt — and “does not diminish the life, service, or humanity of Roger Fortson”.

Family attorney Ben Crump called it a “painful moment” for the “heartbroken” family, saying they would pursue a civil rights case in federal court. Defence attorney Rod Smith told ABC News he was “thrilled” but “saddened for the event”, saying Duran “followed his training”.

The shooting drew national attention in 2024; the state attorney’s office acknowledged that some view Fortson’s death in the national context of encounters involving law enforcement.