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

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A judge on Thursday granted bail to a Florida sheriff's deputy who was fired and charged with manslaughter after he shot a high-ranking U.S. Air Force officer at the door of a black man's apartment.

Former Okaloosa County deputy Eddie Duran, 38, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter with a firearm, a rare charge against a police officer in Florida. Duran's body camera recorded him shooting 23-year-old Roger Fortson on May 3, immediately after Fortson opened the door while holding a handgun pointed at the ground.

Thursday's hearing took place before Judge Terrance R. Ketchel, who was appointed trial judge in Duran's case.

Duran had been ordered to remain in custody until his remand on Thursday, although his lawyer argued on Tuesday that there was no reason to send him to prison.

“They know he's going to show up,” attorney Rod Smith said Tuesday. “We believe he's not a risk, not a flight risk.”

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.

Duran responded to a report of a physical altercation at an apartment in the Fort Walton Beach complex. An employee there identified Fortson's apartment as the location, sheriff's investigators said. At the time, Fortson was alone in his apartment, talking to his girlfriend on a FaceTime video call, which captured audio of the altercation. Duran's body camera video showed what happened next.

After repeated knocks, Fortson opened the door. Authorities say Duran shot him multiple times and only then ordered Fortson to drop the gun.

Duran told investigators that he saw the aggression in Fortson's eyes and fired because “I'm standing there thinking I'm about to get shot, I'm about to die.”

The fatal shooting of the Georgia pilot was just one of many cases of black people being killed by police in their own homes. It also reignited the debate over Florida's “Stand Your Ground” law. Hundreds of Air Force members in uniform attended his funeral along with Fortson's family, friends and others.

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Martin reported from Atlanta.

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Kate Payne is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.