Grieving mother demands answers nearly 2 years after Florida deputy fatally shot airman
FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — The mother of a U.S. Air Force airman shot and killed by a Florida sheriff’s deputy nearly two years ago says she doesn’t want people to forget her son and is still seeking accountability so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was shot and killed by a deputy responding to a disturbance call at Fortson’s apartment in Fort Walton Beach, where he lived while stationed at nearby Hurlburt Field. The May 2024 meeting was filmed by a body camera.
At a news conference Tuesday in Florida, prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Fortson’s family in an ongoing federal lawsuit, said it was his mother’s decision to hold the news conference.
“She is deeply hurt and concerned that time has allowed her son’s name and his life to fade from the public consciousness,” Crump said.
“We are not here to dispute facts or comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” he added. “We are here because the silence, delays and distance have a human cost for families who must cry while waiting for answers.”
Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden fired Deputy Eddie Duran, 38, who killed Fortson after being directed to Fortson’s apartment while responding to a domestic violence call. Duran was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. This is a rarely filed criminal case against a Florida judicial officer.
Two Florida attorneys representing Duran did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Fortson’s mother, Chantimekki Fortson, said she still has many unanswered questions about the case.
“I need to know what happened to my baby,” she said.
“I have to try to learn to live without Roger,” she added. “I don’t think I’ll ever learn that.”
Crump added that Fortson’s mother wants to know: “How could this have been avoided and how can we make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s family?” he said.
Fortson’s family is originally from Georgia. Hundreds of blue-clad Air Force members mourned Fortson at his funeral outside Atlanta.
