The mother of a slain U.S. airman in Florida has sued not only the sheriff’s deputy who killed him, but also the apartment complex where he lived and the leasing agent who reported a domestic disturbance in his apartment.
As Law&Crime previously reported, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was killed on May 3, 2024, by Eddie Lee Duran, a 38-year-old Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The incident was caught on body camera footage.
Fortson’s mother, Chantimekki “Meka” Fortson, filed the lawsuit, alleging that law enforcement and the apartment complex engaged in a “cascade of negligent, reckless, and unconstitutional actions” that led to Fortson’s death. The complaint was filed on Tuesday in the Northern United States District Court of Florida.
“In the four-and-a-half minute, heavily redacted video, it is very troubling that the deputy shot multiple times within a split second of the door being opened, killing Roger,” said attorney Ben Crump, who represents Fortson’s mother.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office fired the deputy, Eddie Duran, 39, and said his decision to open fire was “not objectively reasonable.” Prosecutors charged him with manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty in an ongoing case.
Crump’s team has chastised Duran, alleging that he knocked on the door to Fortson’s apartment, 1401, without first identifying himself as law enforcement and standing outside the peephole. Fortson, who was on the phone with his girlfriend and concerned about his safety, pulled out a gun but pointed it down when he opened the door. The plaintiff’s legal team pointed out that he was holding out his open left hand defensively. Duran quickly opened fire several times. He demanded that Fortson drop the gun.
“It is over there. “I don’t have it,” Fortson said as he died. “I can’t breathe.”
The complaint attacked the credibility of the agent who spoke with Duran, attempting to cast serious doubt on her recollection of a prior domestic disturbance in the residence. The leasing agent, identified only as Jane Doe in federal documents, was acting on “fourth-hand” information and an unsubstantiated personal recollection when she falsely claimed that there was an escalating confrontation at the residence and that something similar had occurred before, according to the complaint.
“Ms. Doe also recounted to Deputy Duran her vague recollection of a prior incident from weeks earlier where she thought she heard yelling and a slap,” according to the complaint. “She admitted that she did not know where the yelling had come from but still identified Mr. Fortson’s apartment as the source.”
The Elan Apartments, where Fortson lived and died, did not respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment. The sheriff’s office declined to discuss the specifics of the complaint.
“We are aware of the civil lawsuit filed on behalf of Roger Fortson,” a sheriff’s office representative stated. “Mr. Fortson’s death one year ago was a tragic event that has and will continue to affect many people in our community and beyond. We remain committed to the transparency we have demonstrated throughout this process, and we stand by our previous public statements. On counsel’s advice, we have no further comment on this matter.”
