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Roger Fortson: Family speaks after firing of deputy who shot and killed Atlanta pilot – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA – The family of Roger Fortson, the Atlanta pilot killed by a Florida deputy, will speak out Monday about the deputy’s recent firing.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office fired Deputy Eddie Duran on Friday after an internal investigation found that “the use of deadly force was objectively not appropriate and therefore violated agency policy.”

Fortson’s family and her attorney, Ben Crump, will hold a press conference at 10 a.m.

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Crump said Fortson was talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime when he heard an aggressive knock on the door and went to get his legally purchased gun. When he opened the door, the deputy shot him multiple times.

On Friday, Crump issued the following statement in response to Duran’s firing:

“The firing of the officer who shot Roger Fortson is a step forward, but it is not complete justice for Roger and his family. The actions of this deputy were not just negligent, they were criminal. As we have stated from the beginning and as Sheriff Aden reiterated today, Roger was an exceptional airman who did absolutely nothing to warrant being shot in his own home.”

According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy confirmed that “Mr. Fortson did not offer any physical resistance to him, and the investigation determined that Mr. Forston did not point the weapon in the direction of the former deputy.”

“This tragic incident should never have happened,” said Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden. “The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions. Mr. Fortson committed no crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional aviator and human being.”

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