Sergeant Erik Duran in court, memorial for Eric Duprey, and the cooler from the incident (WNBC screenshots)
A 37-year-old sergeant in the New York City Police Department has been indicted on a slew of felonies for allegedly killing a 30-year-old suspected drug dealer, throwing a cooler at the man as he was fleeing on a motorized scooter, causing him to crash and strike his head on the curb. Erik Duran stands charged with one count each of second-degree manslaughter, first and second-degree assault , and criminally negligent homicide in the death of Eric Duprey last summer, authorities announced.
Duran on Tuesday appeared in State Supreme Court before Justice George Villegas for his arraignment where his bail was set at $150,000 bond or partially secured bond, with $150,000 cash alternative, according to a news release from the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Duran pleaded not guilty to all of the charges levied against him.
Authorities allege that on Aug. 23, 2023, Duran was acting in an undercover capacity with the NYPD’s Narcotics Borough Bronx (NBBX) Tactical Response Unit when he “forcefully threw a cooler at Eric Duprey as he was driving a motorized scooter, causing Mr. Duprey’s death.”