https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/us/roger-forston-florida-airman-shot-deputy-fired/index.html Florida deputy who shot airman in his home has been fired for using unreasonable deadly force, sheriff’s office says By Kaila Nichols, Carlos Suarez and Denise Royal, CNN Fri May 31, 2024 CNN — The
Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a Black man in his home has
been fired, the sheriff’s office announced Friday. The
decision followed an internal investigation into the former deputy, Eddie
Duran. This is the first time Duran’s identity has been publicly disclosed
since the shooting earlier this month. A separate criminal investigation into
the deputy’s actions is ongoing with the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement. “The
administrative investigation determined the deputy’s use of deadly force was
not objectively reasonable and therefore violated agency policy,” a news release from
the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office stated. Deputies
responded May 3 to an apartment after receiving a call for “a disturbance in
progress,” Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden said in a previous statement. According
to the internal investigation, a woman at the complex told the deputy about a
disturbance in apartment 1401 she said was “getting out of hand.” Body
camera footage shows shortly after Roger Fortson opened the door of the
apartment, the deputy in the video says “step back” before firing his weapon.
Fortson was standing in the doorway with his hands down and a firearm in his
right hand. Five
shots can be heard on the footage. Fortson was pronounced dead at a hospital. In
an interview with investigators, Duran claimed Fortson’s arm was “slightly
canted, meaning not straight down.” He described it as being “in a manner so
that his arm is slightly up.” But
the investigation determined otherwise. According to the statement released
with the internal affairs investigation, “the firearm was pointed at the
ground sufficiently enough for the former deputy to clearly see the rear face
of the rear sight,” and “the investigation concluded that Mr. Fortson did not
point the gun in the former deputy’s direction.” “This
tragic incident should have never occurred,” Aden said in a Friday release.
“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.” Duran
was hired by the sheriff’s office in July 2019 and resigned in November 2021
to relocate out of state with his spouse, the investigation stated. He
joined the sheriff’s office again in June 2023. He was up-to-date with his
response to resistance, firearms, active assailant, active shooter and
domestic violence training sessions. His most recent firearm training was in
September 2023, according to the investigation. CNN
has reached out to Duran’s attorney for comment. Christina
Maxouris, Shawn Nottingham, Melissa Alonso and Dakin
Andone contributed to this report. This story has been updated with additional information. |
Friday, May 31, 2024
Update: Damage Control. Florida deputy who shot airman in his home has been fired for using unreasonable deadly force May 31, 2024
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