OAN Staff Lillian Mann
6:10 PM – Friday, April 10, 2026
A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced to three to nine years in prison on Thursday for a 2023 incident that left a fleeing suspect dead.
Erik Duran, 38, was convicted of manslaughter in the death of 30-year-old Eric Duprey. During an undercover operation, Duran reportedly threw a picnic cooler loaded with drinks at Duprey as he attempted to escape on a motor scooter. However, the impact caused Duprey to crash, resulting in fatal injuries.
While Duran maintained that he threw the cooler to protect fellow officers from the oncoming scooter, the judge ultimately held him criminally responsible. His sentencing marks the first time in at least two decades that a former NYPD officer has been sent to prison for a death occurring while on duty.
“I took this job to save lives. I felt terrible once I saw Eric Duprey crash,” Duran told the Bronx judge, saying he “did everything he could” to attend to Duprey’s injuries. “I never wanted this to happen,” he added, apologizing to Duprey’s family in Spanish — which the court interpreter translated.
Duprey’s mother, Gretchen Soto, responded by saying: “There are no words to express what I feel.”
Judge Guy Mitchell expressed skepticism regarding the former sergeant’s motives, stating he did not believe the actions were justified. The judge asserted that Duran threw the cooler simply because he “was upset that Mr. Duprey was getting away,” adding that had Duran not intervened, Duprey likely “would have driven by” and could have been apprehended at a later date.
While Duran was taken into custody immediately following the sentencing, his attorney, Arthur Aidala, announced plans to request that a court release him on bail pending an appeal.
A surveillance video shows Duprey driving the scooter on the sidewalk toward a group of people when the then-sergeant picked up a bystander’s cooler — hurling it at 30-year-old Duprey.
After the cooler — heavy with ice and drinks — struck Duprey, he lost control of his scooter and slammed into a tree, hitting his head on the pavement. Since Duprey was not wearing a helmet at the time, he suffered catastrophic head injuries and died almost instantly, according to prosecutors.
At his trial, Duran testified that the act was an impulsive decision made solely to ensure the safety of his fellow officers
“He was gonna crash into us,” Duran responded, adding “all I had time for was to try again to stop or to try to get him to change directions.”
Prosecutors, however, argued that Duran had enough time to yell for others to move out of the way, though he instead threw the cooler due to “anger.” “He did that while on duty,” then attempted to cover up his actions, prosecutor Joseph Bianco declared at court.
“Today will forever be the darkest day of our profession,” union president Vincent Vallelong said, adding that Duran’s sentence “puts in the back of a police officer’s mind that they can lose their freedom” for making a split-second decision.
The courthouse was a scene of stark contrast, filled with NYPD officers showing support for Duran while protesters outside called for justice for Duprey. Duran’s union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, noted that thousands of officers had signed an online petition urging the court to spare him from prison.
Nonetheless, Bianco argued further that the former officer’s “reckless” behavior caused Duprey’s death, highlighting his alleged “attempts to cover up” his actions. Conversely, defense attorney Andre Quinn pushed for no prison time, characterizing the death as the “unintended and tragic consequence” of a “reckless decision” made in a matter of seconds.
Quinn then portrayed Duran — a married father of three who grew up in the Bronx — as having led an “exemplary life” prior to the incident. He stated that Duran joined the NYPD with the goal of making the borough “cleaner and safer for the kids who came after him.”
Following 13 years of service with the NYPD, Duran was fired immediately after his conviction in February. He had opted for a bench trial, leaving the final verdict in the hands of Judge Mitchell rather than a jury.
The victim, Eric Duprey, was a delivery driver. His mother, Gretchen Soto, reported that she was on a phone call with him just moments before the encounter. She has since disputed police allegations that he was involved in a drug sale or fleeing from officers at the time of the incident.
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