A New York City Police Department sergeant has been convicted of second‑degree manslaughter in the death of a man struck by a thrown cooler during a police encounter in the Bronx.
On Friday, Supreme Court Judge Guy Mitchell found NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran, 38, guilty in the 2023 death of Eric Duprey, 30, after a bench trial. The incident occurred on Aug. 23, 2023, when Duran threw a picnic cooler at Duprey as he fled on a motorized scooter during an undercover narcotics operation. Prosecutors said the cooler struck Duprey, causing him to lose control, crash and sustain fatal head injuries.
Duran had also faced charges of criminally negligent homicide and assault, but the assault count was dismissed during the trial.
Attorney General Letitia James, whose Office of Special Investigation prosecuted the case, issued a statement expressing condolences to Duprey’s loved ones and saying the decision “gives justice to his memory.”
Under New York law, second‑degree manslaughter carries a potential prison term of five to 15 years. Duran is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2026.
The case was handled under a state law requiring the Office of the Attorney General to review all incidents in which a police or peace officer may have caused a death.
Duran was previously suspended with pay. Following the guilty verdict, he was dismissed from the NYPD, as mandated by state law.
