Florida Sheriff Fires Deputy Over Fatal Shooting

A Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot a U.S. Air Force airman last month while responding to a report of a disturbance has been fired, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

NBC reports an internal investigation of the May 3 shooting found Deputy Eddie Duran’s use of deadly force that ended in the death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson was not reasonable, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

“The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement.

Fortson, 23, was fatally shot when he opened the door of his apartment in Fort Walton Beach after Duran knocked and announced the presence of law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said.

Duran was responding to a report of a disturbance in progress, and an employee of the complex directed him to the unit where Fortson lived, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Fortson opened the front door and the two faced each other, the Sheriff’s Office said. The airman had a gun at his side, pointed down, and did not aim it and did not resist the deputy before Duran opened fire, it said.