The mother of a U.S. Air Force airman from Atlanta who was fatally shot by an on-duty Florida sheriff’s deputy says she is still seeking accountability so it doesn’t happen to someone else.
It’s been nearly two years since 23-year-old Senior Airman Roger Fortson was shot to death by a Okaloosa County deputy at his apartment complex in Fort Walton Beach, where he lived while based at nearby Hurlburt Field.Â
Authorities say the deputy, Eddie Duran, had been directed to Fortson’s apartment in response to a domestic disturbance report that turned out to be false. Records of 911 calls show deputies had never been called to Fortson’s apartment previously but they had been summoned to a nearby unit 10 times in the previous eight months, including once for a domestic disturbance.
After repeated knocking, Fortson opened the door while holding his handgun at his side, pointed down. Authorities say that Duran shot him multiple times; only then did he tell Fortson to drop the gun.
According to the internal affairs report of the shooting, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”
Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran in 2024, after an internal investigation concluded his life was not in danger when he pulled the trigger. Duran was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Duran has been out of jail on bond as the case works it way to trial.
Chantemekki Fortson, mother of Roger Fortson, holds a photo of her son during a news conference on May 9, 2024, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Gerald Herbert / AP
Family has unanswered questions about airman’s killing
At a Tuesday news conference in Florida, prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Fortson’s family in an ongoing federal lawsuit, said it was his mother’s decision to hold the media briefing.
“She is deeply hurt and concerned that time has allowed her son’s name and his life to fade from public consciousness,” Crump said.
“We are not here to litigate facts or comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” he added. “We are here because silence, delay and distance have a human cost for families who are left to grieve while waiting for answers.”
Fortson’s mother, Chantimekki Fortson, said she still has many unanswered questions about the case.
“I need to know what happened to my baby,” she said. “I have to try to learn how to live life without Roger. I don’t think I’m going to ever learn that.”
Crump said that the airman’s mother wanted to know how the shooting could have been prevented and what law enforcement agencies could do to stop another from happening.
Two Florida attorneys representing Duran did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.