Family sues over Florida deputy's killing of Black U.S. airman, alleging excessive and unconstitutional use of deadly force
The family of a U.S. airman who was shot by a Florida sheriff's deputy inside his own home sued the deputy, the sheriff and the owner of the airman's apartment complex on Tuesday, saying they want to ensure people are held accountable for his 2024 death.
The complaint alleges that Deputy Eddie Duran used excessive and unconstitutional deadly force when he shot Roger Fortson just seconds after the Black senior airman opened his apartment door in Fort Walton Beach on May 3, 2024. Duran was responding to a domestic disturbance report at Fortson's apartment that turned out to be false.
FILE - Candles and framed photos of Roger Fortson, a U.S. Air Force senior airman who was fatally shot by a Fla. sheriff's deputy on May 3, 2024, sit in the doorway of the apartment where he was killed in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on Aug. 23.
Kate Payne / AP
"I want accountability because he was 23. I want accountability because he had a life ahead of him. I want accountability because he was in his own home," said Fortson's mother, Meka Fortson, who wore a shirt emblazoned with an image of her son in his Air Force uniform while appearing with the family's attorney, Ben Crump, at a press conference to announce the wrongful death lawsuit.
The complaint describes failures by the county sheriff's office
The complaint filed in federal court in Pensacola details alleged failures by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in training and supervision and claims that staff at the apartment complex where Fortson lived provided misleading information that led to the fatal law enforcement response.
Messages were left seeking comment from attorneys for Duran, a spokesperson for the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and an agent for the apartment complex's management company.
Duran has pleaded not guilty to a charge of manslaughter with a firearm in the shooting, which renewed debate on police killings and race, and occurred against a wider backdrop of increased attention by the military to racial issues in its ranks. Duran identifies as Hispanic, according to his voter registration.
The airman's mother said she has "no faith" in Okaloosa County, expressing doubt that Duran will get a "real trial" in the Florida Panhandle community where he worked as a law enforcement officer.
It is highly unusual for Florida law enforcement officers to be charged for an on-duty killing. Convictions in such cases are even rarer.
"This is not policing. This is an unlawful execution," said Crump, a civil rights attorney who has been involved in a number of cases involving law enforcement killings of Black people, including those of Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Tyre Nichols and George Floyd.
"We believe Roger's death was a result of a pattern and practice here in Okaloosa County," added Crump, who announced the lawsuit at a press conference at Greater Peace Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Walton Beach.
FILE - Friends and family of Roger Fortson watch as his casket leaves for the cemetery at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on May 17, 2024, in Stonecrest, Ga.
Brynn Anderson / AP
The deputy mistakenly went to the wrong apartment, investigators say
Duran came to Fortson's door in response to a report of a physical fight inside an apartment. A worker at the complex had identified Fortson's apartment as the location of a loud argument, according to sheriff's investigators. Fortson, who was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, was alone at the time, talking with his girlfriend on a FaceTime video call.
Duran's body camera video showed what happened next.
The deputy pounded at the door repeatedly and yelled, "Sheriff's office — open the door!" Fortson opened the door with his legally purchased gun in his right hand, pointed to the ground.
The deputy said, "Step back," then immediately began firing. Fortson fell backward onto the floor. Only then did the deputy yell, "Drop the gun!"
Deputies had never been called to Fortson's apartment before, 911 records show, but they had been called to a nearby unit 10 times in the previous eight months, including once for a domestic disturbance.
Crump defended Fortson's right to answer his door with his firearm in hand.
"He had a right to the Second Amendment too — to protect his home, to protect his castle," Crump said. "He didn't do anything wrong."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
30 minutes ago
- Fox News
FBI arrests Michigan man who allegedly called in phony bomb threat after missing Spirit Airlines flight
A Michigan man who missed his flight was recently arrested after allegedly calling in a fake bomb threat that forced the evacuation of his scheduled Spirit Airlines flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport early Thursday morning. In a Justice Department news release Friday, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said John Charles Robinson, 23, of Monroe is accused of using a cellphone to call Spirit Airlines with false information about a bomb threat to Flight 2145 departing from Detroit Metro bound for Los Angeles. During the call, Robinson said in part, "I was calling about 2145… because I have information about that flight," "there's gonna be someone who's gonna try to blow up the airport," and "there's gonna be someone that's gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145," according to an affidavit. After giving a description of an individual, he then stated, "they're going to be carrying a bomb through the TSA," and "they're still threatening to do it, they're still attempted to do it, they said it's not going to be able to be detected. Please don't let that flight board." The aircraft was moved to a remote location, and all passengers were safely deplaned and taken to the Evans Terminal for additional screening. Bomb-sniffing dogs and FBI agents conducted a thorough search of the plane for explosives, but nothing was found. Agents learned Robinson was booked on the flight, but missed it and was told at the gate that he needed to re-book. Robinson was arrested by the FBI when he returned to the airport to depart on another flight bound for Los Angeles. "No American wants to hear the words 'bomb' and 'airplane' in the same sentence," Gorgon said. "Making this kind of threat undermines our collective sense of security and wastes valuable law enforcement resources." Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said the incident prompted a coordinated response by our FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, in partnership with the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department and the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service. "We remain committed to protecting the public and confronting those who seek to spread fear in our communities," Gibson said. Robinson appeared in federal court in Detroit on Friday afternoon and was released on bond. His next court appearance is June 27 for a preliminary HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPSpirit Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
L.I. man arrested after woman found fatally shot in car outside her home
A Long Island man has been arrested and charged after a woman was found fatally shot in a car outside her apartment building in Moriches on Friday, officials said. James Quininchetta, 40, of Ridge, was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with second-degree murder, a Suffolk County Police spokesperson confirmed to the Daily News. The victim, 33-year-old Rebecca Roth, was found by her mother inside a Hyundai Elantra in the parking lot of the Tall Oaks apartment complex on Long Tree Lane early Friday morning, according to police. Roth's mother, who has not been publicly identified, called 911 shortly before 8:30 a.m. Homicide Squad detectives responded and found Roth with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Quininchetta was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail, online court records show. George H. Duncan, Quininchetta's court-appointed attorney, told the Daily News that his client asserts his innocence and is eager to have his day in court. He's scheduled for another appearance on June 12. If convicted, Quininchetta faces 15 years to life behind bars. It's unclear what, if any, relationship he had with the victim.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Chicago police say an officer was accidentally shot and killed by her partner
CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago police officer was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner after they chased a suspect into an apartment and encountered another person with a rifle, officials said. Krystal Rivera, 36, a four-year veteran of the department, is survived by a 10-year-old daughter. The partner was the only person who fired a weapon, and the 'gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera,' city police said in a statement Friday. An autopsy showed she was shot in the back. Rivera died at a hospital late Thursday, less than an hour after being shot. Colleagues had brought her to the hospital in a squad car that crashed and caught on fire due to a malfunction, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. She was then transported in another squad car. The person who allegedly brandished the rifle was taken into custody, police said. They did not immediately say what charges the person would face. The shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. on Thursday as Rivera's tactical unit conducted a stop on someone suspected of having a weapon. A chase ensued that ended in the apartment. Investigators later found three weapons at the scene, police said. Snelling called Rivera 'young, vibrant and a hard worker.' Her mother told The Chicago Sun-Times that she had dreamed of being a police officer since she was young. 'For me, it's a privilege,' Rivera told the Sun-Times when she graduated from the academy in 2021. 'I come from a family of serving. To help people in need, that's my calling.'
