Crime & Public Safety
Former Okaloosa deputy acquitted in Fort Walton Beach fatal shooting
A jury on Thursday found former Okaloosa County deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter in the May 2024 fatal shooting of 23-year-old Senior Airman Roger Fortson at an apartment in Fort Walton Beach. The jury reached the verdict after roughly two hours of deliberation following a trial that began earlier that week with jury selection.
According to courtroom dates provided during the trial, closing arguments were delivered Thursday morning. Duran testified in his defense during the proceedings, saying he believed his life was in danger when Fortson answered the apartment door holding a gun; prosecutors contended the shooting was criminal. Body-worn camera footage shown at trial reportedly captured Fortson answering the door with a gun in his hand. Duran shot Fortson five times; Fortson died of his injuries.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident and, less than a month after the shooting, fired Duran following an internal affairs inquiry that concluded his use of deadly force “was not objectively reasonable and therefore violated agency policy.” Duran had been a law enforcement veteran who rejoined the sheriff’s office in June 2023 after earlier service; he faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
A federal civil lawsuit filed in May 2025 by Fortson’s family and their attorney names Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden, Duran and others. The criminal case is concluded with the acquittal; related civil litigation remains pending. No additional injuries, motives, or administrative outcomes beyond those documented in the investigation and filings were asserted here.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.