An attorney for the fired Florida sheriff’s deputy charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an Air Force senior airman defended his client’s actions as “reasonable” Thursday, shortly after a judge decided he could be released on bond until his trial.
Former Okaloosa County deputy Eddie Duran’s “actions were reasonable and appropriate given the information he was provided” and “what he feared to be a potentially dangerous domestic situation,” John Whitaker said in a statement.
“For months now Mr. Duran, his wife, and his six children have been waiting for this opportunity to tell a jury not so much what happened on May 3rd but rather why it happened,” Whitaker said. “In hindsight everyone, especially Mr. Duran, wishes with all their hearts that this incident had never occurred.”
Duran, 38, shot Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson multiple times on May 3, moments after Fortson, 23, opened the door of his Fort Walton Beach apartment. Fortson, who was home alone, was holding a gun pointed to the ground, body camera video shows. Duran had been responding to a call of a domestic disturbance.
Duran was charged with manslaughter with a firearm Friday, more than three months after he fatally shot Fortson and days after Sheriff Eric Aden was re-elected. The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Duran turned himself in Monday.
Circuit Judge Terrance Ketchel set his bond at $100,000 and other conditions, including that he not have contact with Fortson’s family or possess a firearm, Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said. As of Thursday afternoon, Duran was no longer listed as an inmate on the website of the Escambia County Jail, where he had been detained.
Fortson’s mother, Chantemekki Fortson, who has criticized the sheriff’s office and how long it took the state attorney to announce whether Duran would face charges, said she was disappointed he was released.
On the day of the shooting, Duran had been directed to apartment 1401, where Fortson lived, by a woman at the apartment complex, body camera video shows. Fortson’s family and their attorneys have insisted Duran went to the wrong apartment, because Fortson was home alone with his small dog on a video call with his girlfriend when he was killed. Records of 911 dispatch calls show deputies had never been called to his apartment before but had been called to a nearby unit several times in the previous year, including once for a domestic disturbance.
Fortson was stationed at Hurlburt Field Air Force Base in Okaloosa County. The Fortson family is from DeKalb County, Georgia.
The body camera video also shows that when Duran arrives at Fortson’s apartment, he stands outside and listens for more than 15 seconds, but no voices inside can be heard on his body camera. Duran then knocks on Fortson’s door without identifying himself. He moves to the side of the door before he knocks again and announces himself.