ATLANTA — The family of Roger Fortson, the airman from Atlanta who was killed by a Florida deputy, will address the deputy’s recent firing on Monday.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office fired Deputy Eddie Duran on Friday after an internal investigation found the “use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable and therefore violated agency policy.”
Fortson’s family and their attorney, Ben Crump, will hold a news conference at 10 a.m.
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Crump said that Fortson was on FaceTime with his girlfriend when he heard an aggressive knock on the door and retrieved his legally owned gun. When he opened the door, the deputy shot him several times.
On Friday, Crump issued the following statement in response to Duran’s termination:
“The firing of the officer who shot and killed Roger Fortson is a step forward, but it is not full justice for Roger and his family. The actions of this deputy were not just negligent, they were criminal. As we’ve stated from the beginning, and as echoed today by Sheriff Aden, Roger was an exceptional airman who did absolutely nothing to warrant being gunned down in his own home.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy “confirmed Mr. Fortson did not physically resist him in any way, and the investigation concluded that Mr. Forston did not point the gun in the former deputy’s direction.”
“This tragic incident should have never occurred,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said. “The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions. Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional airman and individual.”
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