Judge denies bail to fired deputy sheriff after fatal shooting of black pilot

A judge denied bail Tuesday to a fired deputy in the shooting death of a black senior U.S. Air Force soldier who opened his apartment door while pointing a gun at the ground. Former Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran, 38, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm in connection with the May 3 shooting of 23-year-old Roger Fortson. The rare charge against a police officer in Florida is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

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• A judge denied bail to Eddie Duran, a fired Florida deputy, for the fatal shooting of Roger Fortson, a black high-ranking U.S. Air Force soldier who had a gun pointed at the ground as he opened his apartment door.
• Duran, 38, faces charges of manslaughter with a firearma first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison for the May 3 shooting.
• Duran's attorney argued for his release ahead of a detention hearing on Thursday. and claims that Duran is not a flight risk.
• Duran was dismissed after an internal investigation concluded that his life was not in danger when he opened fire, although he initially claimed it was self-defense.
• Fortson had spoken to his girlfriend via FaceTime during the encounter, and Duran's body camera recorded the incident.
• Duran was responding to a false report of domestic disturbances at Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach apartment, where he shot Fortson several times after he opened the door with a gun at his side and only then asked him to drop the weapon.
• The shooting has sparked renewed debate about Florida's “Stand Your Ground” law and concerns about a “shoot first” mentality, particularly in cases involving black victims.
• Hundreds of Air Force members attended Fortson's funeraland highlighted the significant impact his death has had on his community and the broader discussion about police use of force.

The Associated Press reported:

Judge denies bail to fired deputy sheriff after fatal shooting of black pilot

Newsloos-ks – FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) —

A judge denied bail Tuesday to a fired deputy in the shooting death of a black senior U.S. Air Force soldier who opened his apartment door while pointing a gun at the ground. Former Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran, 38, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm in connection with the May 3 shooting of 23-year-old Roger Fortson. The rare charge against a police officer in Florida is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

The judge ordered him held until Thursday's detention hearing, despite objections from his lawyer, who said he should be released now. “You know he's going to show up,” said attorney Rod Smith. “We believe he's not a risk, not a flight risk. He'll show up Thursday, he'll show up any time, he doesn't have to spend the next few days in jail.”

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office initially said Duran fired in self-defense after encountering a man with a gun. But Sheriff Eric Aden fired Duran on May 31 after an internal investigation concluded his life was not in danger when he opened fire. Outside law enforcement experts have also said an officer cannot shoot just because a possible suspect is holding a gun if there is no threat.

Fortson had been talking to his girlfriend over FaceTime and recorded audio of the encounter. Duran's body camera showed what happened. Duran had been dispatched to Fortson's Fort Walton Beach apartment on a domestic disturbance complaint that turned out to be false. After repeated knocks, Fortson opened the door while holding his gun at his side with his hand pointed downward. Authorities say Duran shot him multiple times and only then ordered Fortson to drop the gun.

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.”

Weeks passed after the shooting before the sheriff released an incident report, 911 records or the officer's identity, despite requests for the information under Florida's Open Records Act and pressure from the family's attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.

The pilot's fatal shooting in his off-base apartment in the Florida Panhandle was one of many police killings of black people in their own homes while going about their daily lives. Fortson's death also sparked debate over whether Florida's “Stand Your Ground” law has fostered a climate of “shoot first” vigilantism in which gun owners kill predominantly black people with impunity. Hundreds of blue-clad Air Force members joined Fortson's family, friends and others in his funeral at a megachurch in suburban Atlanta.

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