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Fired Florida sheriff’s deputy released on bail after fatally shooting black airman

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FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A judge on Thursday allowed bail to be granted for a Florida sheriff’s deputy who was fired and charged with murder after he shot and killed a senior U.S. Air Force soldier within the doorway of a Black man’s apartment.

Former Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Duran, 38, could resist 30 years in prison if convicted of murder with a firearm, a rare charge against a Florida law enforcement officer. Duran’s body camera recorded him shooting Roger Fortson, 23, on May 3, just after Fortson opened the door with the gun pointed at the ground.

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

Duran’s arrest warrant was issued Thursday, pending a detention hearing, despite arguments from his attorney Rodney Smith that there was no probable cause to arrest him.

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

Prosecutor Mark Alderman said “this is a case where we all know what happened.”

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“We all saw what happened,” he said. “It’s just a matter of interpretation. We all saw that Mr. Duran killed Roger Fortson. It’s obvious that’s a very serious charge.”

Duran had been homeschooling his six children in recent months while he was unemployed and his wife worked full time, Smith said. Duran sat quietly within the courtroom Thursday, wearing a pink striped prison jumpsuit and glasses. He conferred along with his lawyers and the occasional clang of metal handcuffs might be heard.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office initially said Duran fired in self-defense after being confronted by a person with a gun, but Sheriff Eric Aden fired back on May 31 after an internal investigation found his life was not in peril when he opened fire. Outside law enforcement experts have also said an officer can’t shoot simply because a possible suspect is holding a gun if there isn’t a threat.

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Duran was responding to a report of a physical fight at an apartment in a Fort Walton Beach complex. An worker identified Fortson’s apartment as the situation, based on sheriff’s investigators. Fortson was alone in his apartment on the time, talking to his girlfriend on a FaceTime video call. Duran’s body camera footage showed what happened next.

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After knocking repeatedly, Fortson opened the door. Authorities say Duran shot him multiple times before telling Fortson to place the gun down.

Duran told investigators he saw aggression in Fortson’s eyes and shot because “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”

In a press release after Thursday’s hearing, Smith said the deputy’s actions “were reasonable and appropriate given the information he was provided regarding the nature and urgency of what he deemed to be a potentially dangerous domestic situation.”

In a press release, he described Fortson as “an individual who armed himself before he simply responded to what may have been nothing more than a routine attempt by law enforcement to prevent a domestic violence situation from escalating.”

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At Thursday’s hearing, Smith said his team had cooperated with authorities, saying “we turned him in. He’s not going anywhere.”

Smith confirmed there was video evidence of the shooting and that the case was within the national interest.

“We know we have defenses that we intend to use … qualified immunity, defending our position with respect to law enforcement,” Smith said.

The fatal shooting of the Georgia airman was only one in a growing list of black people being killed by law enforcement officers in their very own homes, and it has also renewed debate over Florida’s “Stand and Fight” law. Hundreds of Air Force blues joined Fortson’s family, friends and others at his funeral.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Crime

Sean “Diddy” Combs rejects the final contract due to the trial on sexual trade

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Sean “Diddy” Combs rejected his last probability to avoid a sexual trade process.

During the hearing on Thursday, a 55-year-old disgraced music mogel confirmed that he didn’t accept transactions of federal prosecutors, NBC News Reported.

Asked by the district judge Arun Subramanian, who led in New York, if he rejected the government’s offer, Diddy said: “Yes, your honor.”

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After consulting his legal team, led by lawyer Marc Agnifilo, he didn’t plead five charges covering tribute, two cases of sexual trade and two cases of transport so as to become involved in prostitution. He denied all the allegations that were brought to him in quite a few lawsuits, wherein he accused or forced people to take part in sexual files and drug -powered sexuals.

If Diddy is found guilty, he faces an extended time behind bars. If he’s convicted of racketeers, he stands in the face of life in prison. If he’s found guilty of two allegations of sexual trade, he’s in the face of a further at the least 15 years. Meanwhile, transport for the purposes of prostitution fees has a maximum judgment of 10 years.

Seven questions we have before Sean

Details of the allegation agreement haven’t been disclosed; However, at the least one lawyer noticed NBC that it was related to a smaller sentence.

Thursday’s interrogation was the last before selecting a jury in the process, which is to start on May 5. Opening declarations to the trial are to start on May 12. The initial technique of jury began on Monday, April 28, and tons of of New Yorkers were received by questionnaires to determine their impartiality.

While Diddy, who was waiting for the trial in Brooklyn since his arrest in September, appeared in court during a trial in prison, in accordance with BBC NewsThe music director was allowed to wear “non -disconneous clothing” during the trial.

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The judicial order specifies that COBS will “allow five button shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks and up to two pairs of shoes without lace in court”, according to BBC.

According to sales, this movement just isn’t unusual. The accused can often wear their very own clothes during trials, because prison clothes may cause some sworn to see crime by nature.

Terrence Howard claims that Sean Diddy Combs apparently wanted an intimate relationship with him

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Shooting at Elizabeth City State University leaves 1 dead, 6 wounded

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A 24-year-old man was killed at the Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) campus throughout the shooting on Sunday, April 27. Shooting at the Historically Black University campus at Elizabeth City in North Carolina, also hurt six others.

HBCU published statement Explaining that the shooting took place after the Yard Fest, an event that was a part of the larger Viking Fest festival, a weekly celebration of the college spirit within the campus.

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“Six people were injured during the incident. Four durable gunshot wounds, including three ECSU students,” confirmed the university. “In addition, two other ECSU students were injured during the next confusion. Fortunately, none of the injuries is considered life -threatening, and all injured were transported to the local hospital for treatment.”

6 to take out from the New York Times article on a decrease in record levels for black men, especially in HBCUS

A 24-year-old man who was not an ECSU student was recognized as deceased. His identity is suspended in anticipation of notification of his closest relative ” – read the statement.

(*1*)

The man who died was identified as Isaiah Caldwell, According to State Bureau of Investigation.

“ECSU expands its deepest sympathies for everyone affected by this tragic event and remains involved in ensuring the security and well -being of the Viking community,” he summed up the ECSU statement.

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Caldwell was a member of the University of Albany 2021 of the Social Organization of Scholarship Organization, Groove Phi Groove; organization He confirmed his departure through social media on Monday.

“With deep sadness and the deepest sympathy, we inform you concerning the premature passage of our beloved brother, Isaiah Caldwell (autumn 21 – great chapter data). Isaiah was tragically taken from the senseless and non -discriminatory violence from the pistol in Elżbiebeth City State University at Vikingfest at the University of State University University University.

Following shooting, the University moved to distant education for the remaining weeks of the spring semester, in keeping with Virginian-Pilot.

White house Reinstates Hbcu Scholars after suspended shock

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Crime

Pro footballer is hiding when the loved ones kidnapped in connection with the growing crime in Ecuador, the family returned safely

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Jackson Rodríguez, Guayaquil, Ecuador, crime, kidnapping, wife, 5-year-old

Jackson Rodríguez, Guayaquil, Ecuador, crime, kidnapping, wife, 5-year-old

Wife and young son of Afro-Elecadorian skilled football Jackson Rodríguez They were secure The authorities saved by the police on April 24 confirmed, after shocking kidnapping from their house, Guayaquil. The incident in which the 26-year-old Rodríguez hid under his bed, when armed men abducted his family, he emphasizes the escalating Ecuador of uncertain uncertainty.

Police commander Pablo Dávila informed on Friday that the 24-year-old wife of Rodríguez and a five-year-old son received medical care after their dismissal and weren’t semi-bad. Insolent kidnapping He occurred early On April 24, when 4 “with a hood and heavily armed people” entered the family’s residence in the Mucho Lete district in this unstable coastal city.

According to Dávila, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of USD 500,000 for a secure return of mother and child, which the family refused to fulfill. Rodríguez, a left defender for the Emelec first division club, fully collaborated with investigators.

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After intensive police operations, the abducted couple was in the “El Fortín” sector, densely populated and notoriously dangerous area in the north -western Guayaquil. . has gained an area The gloomy publicity in March, when the brutal massacre consumed the lives of twenty-two people, which is a transparent illustration of violence harassing the city. Guayaquil, positioned about 270 kilometers (170 miles) southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito, became the focus of the spiral wave of crime of the nation. According to law enforcement officers, its strategic port is the major channel for illegal drug shipments intended for Europe, Central America and the United States.

The kidnapping appeared against the background of the emergency declared only ten days earlier by the Ecuador government during nine provinces, including Guayas, where Guayaquil is positioned. This emergency measure authorizes the distribution of security forces to combat the growing operations of organized crime groups, which the authorities attribute to a rise in violence.

Uncertainty and crime have forged an extended shadow over the Ecuador over the past 4 years, with a transparent escalation in the early months of 2025. Government statistics reveal the stunning 2345 violent deaths reported throughout January to March, with a disproportionate 742 of those appearing in Guayaquil itself. The port city is now gloomy as one in all the most dangerous urban centers in the country.

Tragically Rodríguez and his family are usually not the first athletes who were the goal of this wave of violence. In December 2024, Pedro Perza, footballer for the de quito league, He was kidnapped Esmeraldas, city 182 kilometers northwest of Quito. He was saved alive a number of days later, emphasizing the susceptibility with which even outstanding characters face.

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In his police testimonies, the head of Édison Rodriguez (with no relationship with the victim) stated that 26-year-old Fullback told him, hiding under the bed after hearing a brutal compulsory entrance to his house around 3 am the perpetrator, after determining the absence of Rodríguez, he abducted his wife and child. The player was reportedly witnessing the kidnappers escaping in a gray double cabin pickup.

The last list data from 2022 from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) has revealed an inclination for the Afro-Elecadorian community. While the census indicated a rise in the population of Mestizo, Native and Montubio, the variety of self-identification people as Afro-Elecadorian has fallen significantly in comparison with the 2010 census. The universal list in 2022 recorded 814 495 Africanadorian, which is 4.8% of the total population, which is a transparent contrast of 1,041,559 people, i.e. 7.2%, who identified themselves as Afro-Elecadorian in the 2010 list.

Africaader organizations challenged these official data, estimating that the black population is closer to 10 percent. They cite problems with performing a universal list, especially in areas affected by violence, in which the survey work proved to be difficult, which results in infirmity. And vice versa, the Ecuadorian government assigns a reported reduction in the issue of self -identification and lack of organizations in black communities.

Historically Afro-Elecadorians who First of all, he lives In the northern Coastal Province of Esmeraldas, in addition to in Guayas and other south-center coastal regions, they encountered systemic marginalization despite their significant cultural contribution. While slave ships got here to Ecuador for the first time in 1526, and the enslaved Africans worked on gold plantations and mines, the abolition of slavery in 1851 didn’t erase the lasting consequences of this brutal socio-economic system.

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Africaadorian awareness gained momentum at the end of the twentieth century, which led to the recognition of Afro-Elecadorian as a separate ethnic group in the 1998 structure. However, critics indicate periods of instability and misunderstandings regarding the management of the individual.

Despite some political reforms and declarations of October 2 as Afro-Elecadorian, socio-economic indicators reveal that Afro-Elecadorians Still behind Their white/mestizo counterparts, in the face of everlasting unevenness and racial discrimination, especially in urban areas. Africaader women, in particular, experience disproportionately high level of violence.

The Working Group of the United Nations for African Zdechów also expressed fears, stating in 2019 that the Afro-Dessers constitute a surprising 40 percent of the population living in poverty in Ecuador, despite the much lower overall percentage. The UN body also criticized the denial of their rights to the clean environment, access to justice, education and decent work, emphasizing environmental racism affecting the Afro-Descendant community.

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The recent kidnapping of the Rodriguez family is a transparent reminder of the ubiquitous ecuador of uncertain uncertainty and special gaps in security, in which marginalized communities struggle, including Africanadorians as a part of this crisis. While the secure rescue of his wife and son offers a ray of hope, he emphasizes the urgent need for effective government actions to unravel the original causes of escalation and ensuring the safety and well -being of all its residents.

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This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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