NEW YORK CITY, NY – An NYPD sergeant was found guilty of manslaughter earlier in February during a bench trial pertaining to the August 2023 death of a fleeing suspect who reportedly fatally crashed their scooter via a hurled plastic cooler. The deceased individual was reportedly attempting to elude authorities during the incident after an undercover drug bust.
On August 23rd, 2023, undercover NYPD officers were engaged in a “buy-and-bust” operation in the Bronx where the deceased, 30-year-old Eric Duprey, reportedly sold cocaine to the plainclothes officers. When the narcotics officers attempted to place Duprey into custody, he sped off on a nearby sidewalk with his motorized scooter.
At the time of the attempted bust, now-38-year-old NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran was reportedly near the sidewalk Duprey was speeding down, with surveillance footage showing the moments where he hoisted up a loaded plastic cooler and threw it at the fleeing suspect. The impact from the hurled object caused Duprey to lose control of the scooter, with the suspect being thrown from the scooter toward a nearby tree. Duprey was reportedly declared deceased at the scene minutes after the crash.
Duran reportedly opted to have a bench trial, leaving his fate in the hands of a singular judge, rather than pursuing a traditional jury trial. While it has not been officially made clear as to why Duran chose to have a bench trial in the case, the case did garner local attention and protests in the years following the incident.
Defense attorneys argued in court that Sgt. Duran’s actions were meant to protect fellow officers and civilians from Duprey’s reckless driving on the sidewalk, an argument that ultimately fell flat with Judge Guy Mitchell when he read the guilty verdict on February 6th.
Judge Mitchell dismissed the assault count prosecutors charged Duran with and opted to not render a verdict for the additional charge of criminally negligent homicide considering he found the defendant guilty of the more serious manslaughter charge.
The NYPD confirmed that Sgt. Duran has since been terminated from the department in accordance with state law following his conviction, as he’d been on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the trial. The now-former NYPD sergeant faces up to 15 years in prison, with his sentencing being scheduled for March 19th.
On August 23rd, 2023, undercover NYPD officers were engaged in a “buy-and-bust” operation in the Bronx where the deceased, 30-year-old Eric Duprey, reportedly sold cocaine to the plainclothes officers. When the narcotics officers attempted to place Duprey into custody, he sped off on a nearby sidewalk with his motorized scooter.
At the time of the attempted bust, now-38-year-old NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran was reportedly near the sidewalk Duprey was speeding down, with surveillance footage showing the moments where he hoisted up a loaded plastic cooler and threw it at the fleeing suspect. The impact from the hurled object caused Duprey to lose control of the scooter, with the suspect being thrown from the scooter toward a nearby tree. Duprey was reportedly declared deceased at the scene minutes after the crash.
Duran reportedly opted to have a bench trial, leaving his fate in the hands of a singular judge, rather than pursuing a traditional jury trial. While it has not been officially made clear as to why Duran chose to have a bench trial in the case, the case did garner local attention and protests in the years following the incident.
Defense attorneys argued in court that Sgt. Duran’s actions were meant to protect fellow officers and civilians from Duprey’s reckless driving on the sidewalk, an argument that ultimately fell flat with Judge Guy Mitchell when he read the guilty verdict on February 6th.
Judge Mitchell dismissed the assault count prosecutors charged Duran with and opted to not render a verdict for the additional charge of criminally negligent homicide considering he found the defendant guilty of the more serious manslaughter charge.
The NYPD confirmed that Sgt. Duran has since been terminated from the department in accordance with state law following his conviction, as he’d been on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the trial. The now-former NYPD sergeant faces up to 15 years in prison, with his sentencing being scheduled for March 19th.
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