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The sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a Georgia-raised airman is free.
Deputy who shot airman acquitted. Family attorney discusses next steps after painful day, LIVE on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m.
A jury found former Okaloosa County, Florida, Deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter Friday after he shot and killed Airman Roger Fortson as he answered his door.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna reports that the family’s attorney says this is a painful moment.
They are heartbroken that a McNair High School graduate who dedicated his life to service was killed answering his own front door.
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“I still keep hoping that it’s a dream,” said Roger Fortson’s mother, Chantemekki Fortson.
It’s been two years since the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call that brought Duran to Fortson’s front door.
Inside, Fortson was alone, on FaceTime with his girlfriend.
“I just started recording the whole altercation,” she said.
Fortson’s girlfriend, Tytiana Hendricks, told jurors that Fortson didn’t see anyone in the peephole, so he grabbed his gun and opened the door.
Body camera video shows the deputy waiting one second before he shot Fortson five times.
The video shows Fortson holding a handgun pointed toward the floor.
“And I hear him tell him to put the gun down. And Roger says he can’t breathe and he doesn’t have the gun,” Hendricks said.
Duran told the jury he felt his life was in danger and the shooting was in self-defense.
In the end, the jury sided with the deputy.
In a press release, the Florida State Attorney’s Office said: “A not-guilty verdict means the state did not prove the criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of every juror. It does not diminish the life, service, or humanity of Roger Fortson.”
But now, there will be no criminal punishment for the death of a 23-year-old airman.
The criminal case here is over.
However, the Fortson family filed a civil lawsuit, which they will continue to pursue.
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