NYPD Sergeant Convicted of Manslaughter in Suspect Crash

A Bronx judge convicted a New York Police Department sergeant of second-degree manslaughter on Friday for throwing a cooler at a fleeing suspect during a drug operation last summer, resulting in the man's fatal crash on a motorized scooter.

Sgt. Erik Duran, 38, faces up to 15 years in prison following the bench trial verdict delivered by Justice Guy Mitchell in Bronx Supreme Court. The case, which began on January 14, marks the first time in more than a decade that an active NYPD officer has been prosecuted and convicted for killing someone while on duty. Duran, a member of the NYPD's Narcotics Borough Bronx Tactical Response Unit, will be sentenced on March 19. He was released on $300,000 bond or a partially secured $500,000 bond and remains suspended with pay pending the outcome.

The incident occurred on August 23, 2023, in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, near Aqueduct Avenue and West 192nd Street. Officers were conducting an undercover buy-and-bust operation targeting drug sales when they mistakenly arrested the wrong individual. Eric Duprey, a 30-year-old Bronx resident and delivery driver, fled the scene on a motorized scooter after selling drugs to an...