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Florida jury acquits ex-deputy Eddie Duran in fatal shooting of airman Roger Fortson

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

An Okaloosa County, Florida jury acquitted former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran, 38, of manslaughter with a firearm in the May 2024 shooting death of Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old Black U.S. Air Force airman. Duran had faced up to 30 years in prison. The jury reached its verdict Thursday after a four-day trial and about two hours of deliberations. Duran had responded to a reported domestic disturbance at Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach apartment that authorities later determined was false. Body camera footage showed Fortson opening his door holding a legally owned handgun pointed toward the floor before Duran fired multiple shots. Duran was fired from the sheriff’s office after an internal investigation found his use of force unreasonable.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A jury acquitted former Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran of manslaughter with a firearm in the shooting death of Roger Fortson.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. Duran faced up to 30 years in prison and was acquitted after a four-day trial and about two hours of jury deliberation.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. The shooting occurred in May 2024 after Duran responded to a reported domestic disturbance at Fortson’s apartment that was later determined to be false or unfounded.

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. Body camera footage showed Fortson opening his door while holding a handgun pointed toward the floor before Duran fired.

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. An internal investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office found Duran’s use of deadly force unreasonable, and he was fired from the department.

    Reported byLeft

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. The sheriff’s office previously said Duran acted in self-defense after encountering an armed man.

    Reported byRight

  2. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Fortson’s family would continue to pursue the case.

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether Duran’s use of force was justified self-defense or unreasonable.

    The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said Duran acted in self-defense after encountering an armed man, while an internal investigation cited by left-leaning outlets concluded his use of deadly force was unreasonable; a jury ultimately acquitted him of manslaughter.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-leaning outlets’ headlines identify Fortson by name and race and consistently note the shooting was fatal, with The Guardian and TheGrio adding detail about the false disturbance report in their descriptions.

    Ex-Sheriff’s Deputy Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Airman Roger Fortson
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right-leaning outlets use similarly factual headlines naming the deputy and airman, with The Epoch Times’ AP report adding extensive bodycam dialogue not found in the shorter Washington Times piece.

    Jury acquits fired Florida sheriff's deputy in killing of Black U.S. Airforce Airman Roger Fortson
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 5 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the disturbance report was false
  • Fortson was holding his gun pointed at the floor
  • the internal investigation found the shooting unreasonable
  • the family’s continuing legal efforts

Leaves out

  • the sheriff’s office’s self-defense characterization of the encounter

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Ex-Sheriff’s Deputy Acquitted in Fatal Shooting of Airman Roger Fortson

    The airman, Roger Fortson, had answered a knock at his home in Fort Walton Beach while holding a gun, and was shot within seconds. A Florida jury cleared the former deputy, Eddie Duran.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • TheGrioLeft

    Former Florida deputy acquitted in killing of Black airman Roger Fortson

    The jury cleared Eddie Duran of manslaughter more than two years after he shot the 23-year-old Air Force senior airman

    Read at TheGrio (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    Florida jury finds ex-sheriff’s deputy not guilty in shooting death of Black air force airman

    Roger Fortson was shot by deputy when he opened door with gun in hand after a false domestic disturbance call A Florida jury recently found former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the fatal shooting of Roger Fortson, a Black US air force …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • the deputy’s acquittal
  • bodycam footage showing the exchange at the door
  • the sheriff’s office’s self-defense account

Leaves out

  • the internal investigation’s finding that the use of force was unreasonable
  • Fortson’s family’s plans for further legal action

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Epoch TimesFar RightAssociated Press report

    Jury Acquits Former Florida Sheriff’s Deputy in Killing of US Airforce Airman Roger Fortson

    A former Florida sheriff’s deputy has been found not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the killing of a U.S. Air Force airman fatally shot at his apartment during a domestic disturbance call. An Okaloosa County jury acquitted Eddie Duran, 38, on Thursday. …

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Jury acquits fired Florida sheriff's deputy in killing of Black U.S. Airforce Airman Roger Fortson

    A former Florida sheriff's deputy has been found not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the killing of a Black U.S. Air Force airman fatally shot at his apartment during a domestic disturbance call.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 day later

    Its first report, Oct 3, 12:44 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 2, 12:33 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 2, 12:33 PM EDT
  2. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 3, 4:15 AM EDT
  3. The GuardianLeftOct 3, 12:44 PM EDT
  4. TheGrioLeftOct 3, 1:10 PM EDT
  5. The New York TimesLeftOct 3, 1:58 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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