Former New York Police Department Sgt. Erik Duran was sentenced Thursday after being convicted of second-degree manslaughter in the killing of 30-year-old Eric Duprey in 2023. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
A former New York Police Department sergeant was sentenced to three to nine years in prison Thursday for killing a man in 2023.
Erik Duran was sentenced after being convicted of second-degree manslaughter in the death of 30-year-old Eric Duprey. Duran threw a cooler at Duprey when he was attempting to flee during an undercover drug sting, causing blunt force trauma to his head and leading to his death.
Duprey fled on a motorized scooter, traveling about 30 mph. Duran was caught on video throwing a picnic cooler at Duprey’s head while he tried to escape. The cooler struck Duprey, who then swerved and slid under a vehicle.
Duran, 38, is the first NYPD officer to be found guilty of killing a civilian while on duty in a decade.
During the trial, Duran told the court that he was concerned for the safety of others when he threw the cooler at Duprey, as Duprey was driving the scooter on the sidewalk.
Duran’s attorney called the killing of Duprey, “unintended and tragic” but argued that Duran “should not spend years of his life, not even days of his life, for a decision he made in 2.5 seconds.”
The defense pushed for Duran to spend no time in prison. Former colleagues of Duran gathered signatures requesting that he be sentenced to probation.
Prosecutors argued that Duran’s actions were “reckless, unreasonable, unnecessary.”
Duran had remained out on bail since being convicted on Feb. 6.
This week in Washington
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Yesterday, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, with the U.S. suspending bombing in Iran for two weeks if the country reopens the Straight of Hormuz. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
