Crime & Public Safety
Former Okaloosa deputy acquitted in May 2024 apartment shooting
A jury has acquitted a former Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy of manslaughter in a fatal May 2024 apartment shooting in Fort Walton Beach. The verdict was returned after a trial that began the week of the reported publication and concluded with the not-guilty finding on Oct. 1, 2026.
Prosecutors had alleged the deputy shot a service member inside his apartment after responding to a disturbance call. According to court testimony, the deputy said he knocked and identified himself before the door opened and that the resident was holding a firearm and it was pointed slightly toward him when the door opened. The deputy testified he acted consistent with his training.
Body-worn camera footage entered at trial shows the resident’s firearm pointed at the ground when the door opened, and authorities reported no one else was found inside the apartment. Those facts were part of evidence reviewed by the jury during the proceedings.
The case record documents the accusation, the responding deputy’s account, the body-camera evidence, and the jury’s verdict of not guilty. No sentencing or other criminal penalties remain pending for the former deputy as a result of this verdict; the trial record reflects the acquittal as the current case outcome.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.