Mother of pilot killed by Florida deputy sheriff says his firing alone won’t be enough

Mother of pilot killed by Florida deputy sheriff says his firing alone won’t be enough

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ATLANTA (AP) — The mother of an Air Force soldier who was shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in the doorway of his home said Monday that the deputy’s firing was not justice for her son’s killing.

Chantemekki Fortson spoke at a news conference in Atlanta accompanied by her attorney Ben Crump, who called the firing of Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran “a step forward.” However, Duran was also expected to face charges in the killing of Senior Airman Roger Fortson.

Sheriff Eric Aden released Duran on Friday, about a month after he shot Roger Fortson while responding to a domestic violence call and was directed to Fortson’s apartment.

Chantemekki Fortson not only said that Duran’s dismissal was not enough, but also that it should have happened much sooner.

“To be clear, this is not fair,” she said of the firing. “You think you’re throwing me a bone, and I’m OK with that. I’m not OK with that. I’m not OK with that.”

Duran shot Fortson, 23, multiple times on May 3, two seconds after he opened his door while legally holding a handgun pointed downward, according to the officer’s body camera footage. Fortson was black. Duran, 39, is Hispanic.

A sheriff’s internal affairs investigation released Friday concluded: “Mr. Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore the former deputy’s use of deadly force was objectively not appropriate.” Outside law enforcement experts have also stated that an officer cannot shoot just because a possible suspect is holding a gun if there is no threat.

Duran has not responded to repeated voicemails sent to a number listed as his own. His attorney, John Whitaker, has also not responded to repeated phone calls seeking comment.

According to the internal investigation report, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the pilot’s eyes. He said he fired because “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”

“At this point it’s him or me, and I have to act, not react,” he told investigators.

Duran’s personnel records released by the sheriff’s office show that four days before the shooting, he had asked to be transferred from full-time to part-time work due to unspecified “family difficulties.”

He returned to the sheriff’s office 11 months before the shooting. He had already worked there from 2019 to 2021 and left the office because his wife, a registered nurse, was transferred to a naval hospital in another area.

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at nearby Hurlburt Field as a special operations aviator and served on an AC-130J Ghostrider attack helicopter.

Duran had been dispatched to Fortson’s apartment complex after a manager reported a domestic dispute. The manager dispatched Duran to Fortson’s fourth-floor apartment, even though he lived alone and had no guests that afternoon. He was playing a video game while talking to his girlfriend via video call when the deputy knocked on the door. She told investigators that she and Fortson had not been arguing.

When Duran arrived at Fortson’s door, he stood silently for twenty seconds, listening, but no voices from inside could be heard on his body camera.

He pounded on the door but did not give a name, then walked to the side of the door, about 5 feet away. He told investigators he feared the person inside might shoot through the door or open the door and knock him over the railing and drop him to the ground about 40 feet below.

He waited 15 seconds before pounding on the door again. This time he yelled, “Sheriff’s office – open the door!” He moved aside again. A muffled voice can be heard on the video – Duran said he heard someone cursing at the police.

Less than ten seconds later, Duran stepped out the door again, hammered again and announced his arrival again.

Fortson’s girlfriend told investigators the pilot asked who was there but received no answer. She said Fortson told her he wouldn’t open the door because no one was coming into his apartment. She said neither of them heard the deputy call out that he was from the sheriff’s office.

After the third knock, Fortson told her, “I’m going to get my gun because I don’t know who that is.”

When Fortson opened the door and pointed his gun at the ground, Duran said, “Stand back,” and immediately began firing. Fortson fell backwards onto the ground.

Only then did the deputy shout: “Drop your weapon!”

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Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.