Mother of Roger Fortson, airman killed in his own home, speaks out after deputy who shot him is fired
The mother of an Air Force airman who was shot and killed by a Florida sheriff's deputy last month said at a press conference Monday morning that she wants the deputy criminally charged.
Eddie Duran, the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office deputy who shot Senior Airman Roger Fortson on May 3, was terminated from the department on Friday, according to a sheriff’s office statement obtained by ABC News.
“I want justice for my child. You're not going to throw me a bone [by firing him]. Take his credentials. Take his pension,” Chantemekki Fortson, Roger Fortson’s mother, said Monday in Atlanta, Georgia. “Bring up charges against him.”
Fortson, 23, was in his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, when he was shot by Duran, who was responding to a call reporting a domestic disturbance, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
In body camera footage released by the sheriff's office, Fortson is seen holding a gun in his right hand with his arm extended downward and the muzzle pointing at the floor as he opens the door in response to the deputy, who can be heard announcing twice that he's with the sheriff's office. The footage also shows Fortson had his left hand up, palm showing, gesturing towards the deputy when he opened the door.
Duran shot Fortson within seconds of the door opening. Fortson died of his injuries
Duran said he saw Fortson armed with a gun and that Fortson took a step toward the deputy and had a look of aggression in his eyes, according to an interview Duran conducted with the sheriff’s office during their subsequent investigation.
A sweep of the home did not find another person in the apartment.
“I put so many pictures of my baby on social media,” Chantemekki Fortson said. “He would never put aggression in his eyes if he wanted to. Roger was helping to raise his 16-year-old brother.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Fortson family, said at Monday's press conference that the deputy went to the wrong apartment.
“He [Roger Fortson] was in the apartment by himself with his dog, Chloe, video-chatting with his girlfriend,” Crump said. “There was no domestic dispute. ...”
Fortson's girlfriend, who asked not to be identified due to fears for her safety, spoke last month to Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV, telling the station the couple was having a conversation about weekend plans when the shooting occurred.
Former deputy Duran was placed on administrative leave following the shooting while it was investigated. "Hearing sounds of a disturbance, he reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun,” according to a sheriff’s office statement released on May 9. "[This was] after the deputy had identified himself as law enforcement."
“This tragic incident should have never occurred,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement on Friday, announcing that Duran had been fired. “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.”
The Florida state attorney's office did not respond to ABC News’ most recent request for a statement, but in a previous statement said they would wait for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to finish their investigation before deciding on whether to file charges. That investigation is ongoing, according to Friday's sheriff's office statement.
“Our role is to investigate the deputy’s use of force and we will submit our investigative findings to the local state attorney’s office,” FDLE previously told ABC News in a statement. “Each investigation is thorough and unique and there is not a definitive timeline for completion. Our investigation remains active until the prosecutorial review and their findings are completed.”
ABC News' Davi Merchan contributed to this report.
