Former Florida deputy charged with manslaughter after killing man who opened door with gun

By Kate Payne, Curt Anderson and Jeff Martin
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FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — A Florida sheriff's deputy has been charged with manslaughter with a firearm after a senior U.S. Air Force aviator was killed after he opened the door to his apartment with a gun in his hand.

Former Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran, 38, has been charged with shooting 23-year-old Roger Fortson on May 3, Assistant District Attorney Greg Marcille said. The charge is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Marcille said a warrant had been issued for Duran's arrest, but he was not in custody as of Friday afternoon.

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Authorities said Duran was sent to Fortson's Fort Walton Beach apartment because of a domestic disturbance report that turned out to be false.

After repeated knocks, Fortson opened the door while holding his gun down. Authorities say Duran shot him multiple times.

Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran on May 31 after an internal investigation concluded his life was not in danger when he opened fire.

Duran's attorney, John Whitaker, did not immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment.

Duran began his career as a military police officer in the Army. After his discharge from military service, he was hired by an Oklahoma police department in 2015. He joined the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in 2019, but resigned two years later and returned to the Sheriff's Office in 2023.

The sheriff's office said in a statement Friday that it stands by its decision to fire Duran and has shown “full accountability and transparency” throughout the case.

Duran went to the apartment complex on May 3 after receiving the call about a domestic disturbance. Duran met an apartment manager who took him to Fortson's fourth-floor apartment and told him there were frequent arguments there. The deputy’s body camera video shows.

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Fortson, who had no criminal record, lived alone and had no guests that afternoon. He had a video call with his girlfriend, who told investigators they had not argued. She said Fortson had been playing a video game.

Additionally, 911 records show that officers had never been called to Fortson's apartment before, but had been called to a nearby apartment 10 times in the previous eight months, including once for a domestic dispute.

When Duran arrived at Fortson's door, he stood still for twenty seconds and listened, but Duran's phone recorded no voices from inside. Body camera video.

He then pounded on the door but did not give a name. He then walked to the side of the door, about 5 feet away. He told investigators he feared the person inside might shoot through the door or open the door and push him over the railing and drop him to the ground about 40 feet below.

He waited 15 seconds before pounding on the door again. This time he yelled, “Sheriff's office – open the door!” He moved aside again. A muffled voice can be heard on the video – Duran said he heard someone cursing at the police.

Less than ten seconds later, Duran stepped out the door again, hammered again and announced his arrival again.

Fortson's girlfriend told investigators the pilot asked who was there but received no answer. She said Fortson told her he wouldn't open the door because no one was coming into his apartment. She said neither of them heard the deputy call out that he was from the sheriff's office.

After the third knock, Fortson told her, “I'm going to get my gun because I don't know who that is.”

When Fortson opened the door with his gun, Duran said, “Go back,” before Burn. Fortson fell backwards to the ground.

The deputy called an ambulance, but Fortson died a short time later in the hospital.

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Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Fla.; Martin reported from Atlanta. Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this story.