A police officer offered his apologies for causing the death of a man before being handed a prison sentence today.
Erik Duran threw a cooler full of drinks and ice at Eric Duprey, resulting in Duprey crashing his motorized scooter into a tree, leading to his immediate death in Bronx, New York City. Duprey, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered a fatal head injury.
Prosecutors revealed that Duran, aged 38, threw the cooler out of anger after Duprey fled during a “buy-and-bust” sting operation where he sold drugs to an undercover officer and then escaped.
Despite being a married father of three, Duran was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to serve between three to nine years in prison by a judge. Before the verdict, Duran, who was a sergeant with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), expressed his remorse to the victim’s family.
During the court proceedings, Duran mentioned, “I took this job to save lives. I felt terrible once I saw Eric Duprey crash. I never wanted this to happen.”
Duran, the first ex-NYPD officer to be imprisoned for an on-duty death in at least twenty years, claimed that he was attempting to protect other officers from the oncoming scooter. However, Judge Guy Mitchell ruled that Duran’s actions were unjustified, stating that he threw the cooler out of anger.
Following the sentencing by Judge Mitchell, a woman in the public gallery shouted, “Nobody’s above the law.” Family members of Mr. Duprey, including his mother, were present during the hearing. After the court session, Pearl Velez, the victim’s partner, expressed her refusal to accept the officer’s apology.
Andrew Quinn, Duran’s defense attorney, argued against his client’s imprisonment, attributing Mr. Duprey’s death to an “unintended and tragic consequence” of a “reckless decision” made by Duran in just 2.5 seconds on August 23, 2023.
Duran, who had a commendable life in the Bronx prior to the incident, joined the NYPD with the intention of making the borough safer for future generations, as per his lawyer.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association, representing the defendant, stated that thousands of officers signed a petition to spare Duran from prison. Vincent Vallelong, the union president, remarked that the sentencing marked a dark day in their profession, emphasizing the impact on police officers’ freedom.
