A New York City Police Department sergeant has been convicted of second-degree manslaughter for throwing a cooler at a man on a motorized scooter in the Bronx in 2023, killing him, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James announced February 6.
According to the attorney general’s office, Sgt. Erik Duran, 38, of Putnam County, was found guilty in a bench trial before Judge Guy Mitchell in Bronx Supreme Court. The office said Duran, a member of the NYPD’s Narcotics Borough Bronx Tactical Response Unit, forcefully threw a cooler at Eric Duprey, 30, as Duprey was driving a motorized scooter on August 23, 2023, causing his death.
Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison, the attorney general’s office said. Duran is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on March 19, the office said, adding that Judge Mitchell set bail at a $300,000 bond or a $500,000 partially secured bond.
“I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Eric Duprey,” James said in a statement. “Though it cannot return Eric to his loved ones, today’s decision gives justice to his memory.”
The case was handled by the attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation, which under state Executive Law Section 70-b assesses every reported incident in which a police or peace officer may have caused a person’s death, whether the officer was on or off duty and whether the person was armed or unarmed, according to the attorney general’s office.
