MELROSE, The Bronx (WABC) — A former NYPD sergeant is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday after being convicted in the death of a man during a narcotics sting. It marks the first time in a decade that a New York City police officer has been found guilty of killing a civilian while on duty.
Eric Duprey, 30, was killed in 2023 after then Sergeant Eric Duran threw a picnic cooler at him as Duprey fled on a scooter in the Melrose section of the Bronx. Duprey crashed and died from his injuries.
Duran, 38, is no longer with the NYPD and was convicted of second-degree manslaughter following a nonjury trial. He faces a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Court video shows Duran inside the courtroom, and surveillance footage captures the moment prosecutors say the cooler struck Duprey while he was riding the scooter.
During the trial, Duran testified that he believed Duprey was trying to escape after allegedly selling drugs to an undercover officer. He told the court he feared Duprey would crash into other officers.
Prosecutors said Duran threw a loaded cooler at Duprey’s head “with such force it knocked him off the scooter, causing him to crash into the pavement, split his head open and die almost instantaneously.”
Duran’s defense attorney argued that the cooler was the only object available at the time and that Duran did not know whether it was full or empty. The attorney said Duran was trying to stop what he believed was an immediate threat.
Ahead of sentencing, attorneys for Duran submitted a petition signed by more than 11,000 law enforcement officers urging the judge to impose no jail time. Supporters wrote that Duran should not be imprisoned for what they describe as a split-second decision made in the line of duty.
Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter Greater New York activists gathered Tuesday outside Attorney General Letitia James’ office in Lower Manhattan. The group says James is expected to recommend a prison sentence of three to nine years, which they argue is too lenient.
Both activists and police supporters are expected to gather outside the courthouse. Duran is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m.
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