Roger Fortson: The Airman, the Deputy, and a Not Guilty Verdict
Matter of Fact: A play on "matter" (physics) and "facts" (news).Show Notes
Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old U.S. Air Force senior airman, was shot and killed in the doorway of his Florida apartment in May 2024, seconds after opening the door to an Okaloosa County deputy while holding his own gun pointed at the floor. The sheriff's office fired the deputy, Eddie Duran, and he was charged with manslaughter. On October 1, 2026, a jury found him not guilty.
We go through the afternoon of May 3, 2024 second by second, the body-camera video, the girlfriend who was on a video call with Roger, the sheriff's own investigation, and the trial, where Duran testified that he believed he was about to die. Both sides, the way the jury heard them.
Chapters: 00:00 A knock at the door 00:38 Welcome 01:31 Who was Roger Fortson 02:27 The call and the knock 03:54 What the body camera shows 04:33 The video is released 05:50 The deputy is fired 06:43 Fired vs. charged: two different questions 07:37 The manslaughter charge 08:32 Stand your ground and the immunity hearing 09:57 The trial 10:21 Duran takes the stand 11:19 The defense experts 12:04 Cross-examination and closings 13:19 The verdict 14:32 Where things stand
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This episode was produced with AI voices, from a research brief of court records and news reports. Sources are listed below.
Sources: WUWF: Former Okaloosa Deputy found not guilty in fatal shooting of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2026-10-01/former-okaloosa-deputy-found-not-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-of-senior-airman-roger-fortson WJHG: State Attorney releases statement following not guilty verdict in Eddie Duran case, https://www.wjhg.com/2026/10/01/state-attorney-releases-statement-following-not-guilty-verdict-eddie-duran-case/ WUWF: Former Okaloosa County Deputy Eddie Duran takes the stand in manslaughter trial, https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2026-09-30/former-okaloosa-county-deputy-eddie-duran-takes-the-stand-in-manslaughter-trial WUSF: An Okaloosa County deputy is fired following an investigation into Roger Fortson's killing, https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-05-31/okaloosa-county-deputy-fired-eddie-duran-investigation-roger-fortson-shooting-death WJHG: Former Okaloosa deputy charged with manslaughter in Roger Fortson case, https://www.wjhg.com/2024/08/23/former-okaloosa-deputy-charged-with-manslaughter-roger-fortson-case/ Fox 10: Testimony begins in trial of former sheriff's deputy charged with senior airman's death, https://www.fox10tv.com/2026/09/29/testimony-begins-trial-former-sheriffs-deputy-charged-with-senior-airmans-death/ WSB-TV: Girlfriend describes hearing final moments of Atlanta airman killed by Florida deputy, https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/girlfriend-describes-hearing-final-moments-atlanta-airman-killed-by-florida-deputy/5TPGVW4XBBFSZJPH3GBPGXN44E/ CNN: Florida sheriff releases bodycam video of airman fatally shot in apartment, https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/09/us/roger-forston-florida-airman-shot/index.html
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