Judge grants $100,000 bail to former Florida deputy charged with killing pilot

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WEAR) — A judge on Thursday granted bail of $100,000 to the former Florida state deputy accused of manslaughter in the killing of Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson in May as part of his pretrial detention.

Eddie Duran, 38, appeared in Okaloosa County Court Thursday afternoon.

While the state asked for bail of $250,000 and Duran's defense asked for bail of $10,000, the judge set bail at $100,000.

If he posts bail, Duran will also be prohibited from possessing firearms, having no contact with Fortson's family or witnesses, and not leaving the First Judicial Circuit (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties). The judge decided not to order GPS monitoring.

Duran's attorney, Rod Smith, spoke at length before the judge, explaining that Duran is currently homeschooling his six children, ages 8 to 17, because his wife works and he cannot find work. He added that Duran is not a flight risk – citing previous cooperation in the case as well as his current financial situation due to unemployment.

Smith said the defense asked for bail of $10,000 because it was a realistic amount for Duran.

The state argued that its $250,000 bail request was consistent with the first-degree felony charge and appropriate given the “burden of proof.”

Duran was supported in court Thursday by his wife, father and father-in-law, as well as neighbors and community members.

Duran, who turned himself in to authorities on Monday, made his first court appearance on Tuesday, where a judge denied him bail ahead of Thursday's hearing. He was transferred from the Okaloosa County Jail to the Escambia County Jail on Tuesday afternoon for safety reasons.

Duran was fired from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department in late May after an internal investigation concluded that his use of deadly force “was objectively unreasonable and therefore violated agency policy.”

Bodycam video of the May 3 incident shows Duran shooting 23-year-old Fortson in his Fort Walton Beach apartment.

Last Friday, after completing its investigation, the public prosecutor's office filed charges of manslaughter against Duran.