Fired Florida deputy freed on bond in fatal shooting of Black airman

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A judge allowed bond Thursday for a Florida sheriff’s deputy who was fired and charged with manslaughter after shooting a U.S. Air Force senior airman at the Black man’s apartment door.

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 Florida law enforcement officer. 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 floor.

Judge Terrance R. Ketchel set bond at $100,000 and said Duran cannot possess a firearm or leave the area, though he will not have to wear a GPS tracker. He was released from jail shortly after Thursday’s hearing, jail records show.

Duran had been ordered held pending Thursday’s pretrial detention hearing despite arguments from his lawyer Rodney Smith, who said there’s no reason to jail him.

“He has spent his entire life… his entire career and his military career trying to save people, help people,” Smith said at Thursday’s hearing. “He’s not a danger to the community.”

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