NEW YORK — A former New York City police sergeant will discover his punishment Thursday after being found guilty of manslaughter for hurling a beverage-filled cooler at a fleeing suspect, causing a fatal motorized scooter accident.
Erik Duran, the ex-sergeant, was found responsible for the 2023 death of Eric Duprey. Duran, who claimed he acted to shield fellow officers from the oncoming scooter, could receive a maximum prison term of 15 years.
The incident has created division between law enforcement supporters and police reform advocates. The Sergeants Benevolent Association reports that thousands of officers have endorsed an online appeal requesting Duran avoid incarceration. At the same time, a small gathering of protesters appeared at a Bronx courthouse Tuesday demanding the harshest possible sentence, according to the Daily News.
Duran was working with a narcotics unit conducting an undercover drug operation in the Bronx on August 23, 2023. Authorities stated that Duprey conducted a drug transaction with an undercover officer before attempting to escape on his scooter.
Video footage captured Duprey operating the motorized scooter along a sidewalk heading toward a cluster of individuals. When he drew near, Duran — who was not wearing his uniform — grabbed a nearby person’s cooler and launched it.
The container, packed with ice, water and soft drinks, hit Duprey. He lost command of his scooter, collided with a tree and fell to the ground.
Duprey, age 30, was not protected by a helmet. He suffered severe head trauma and died almost immediately, according to prosecutors from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
Prosecutors contended that Duran had sufficient opportunity to alert others to move away but chose to throw the cooler out of frustration.
Duran, meanwhile, gave testimony that he acted instinctively to protect other officers from the scooter racing in their direction.
“He was gonna crash into us,” Duran stated during court proceedings, explaining that “all I had time for was to try again to stop or to try to get him to change directions.”
He testified that he quickly attempted to assist Duprey upon witnessing the collision and the severity of his wounds.
Duran chose to have his case decided by a judge rather than a jury. Judge Guy Mitchell declared him guilty, stating that his position as a police officer “has no bearing” on the proceedings.
However, Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent Vallelong stated the guilty verdict delivered “a terrible message to hard-working cops” regarding the consequences of protecting themselves and colleagues.
Duran served as a New York Police Department officer for 13 years until his suspension following the incident. He was terminated from the department after his conviction in February.
Duprey earned his living as a delivery driver and was father to three young children. His mother, who claimed she was speaking with him via video call moments before his death, challenged police assertions that he sold narcotics and ran from authorities.
Jon Roberts, an attorney representing Duprey’s family, expressed that they are “hopeful that the court will do justice for Eric and the loss that the entire family has endured and hope that this marks the beginning of the healing process.”
