Ex-NYPD Officer Released On Bail
- Erik Duran, sentenced to three to nine years for the death of Eric Duprey, was released on bail. - The victim, Eric Duprey, was 30 and died after an altercation involving a picnic cooler. - His bail release drew public outrage and raises questions about accountability in police-related killings (patch.com).
Former New York Police Department Sgt. Erik Duran was released on $300,000 bail on April 17 while he appeals his manslaughter conviction in the 2023 death of Eric Duprey. (apnews.com) A Bronx judge sentenced Duran, 38, to three to nine years in prison on April 9 after finding him guilty in February of second-degree manslaughter in a bench trial before Judge Guy Mitchell. (ag.ny.gov) Prosecutors said the case began on August 23, 2023, during an undercover “buy-and-bust” operation on Aqueduct Avenue in the Bronx, after Duprey sold cocaine to an undercover officer and tried to leave on a motorized scooter. (ag.ny.gov) According to the attorney general’s office, Duran grabbed a picnic cooler from a nearby table and threw it at Duprey’s head, causing him to lose control of the scooter and crash. Duprey, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene. (ag.ny.gov) The bail order came from Appellate Division Justice Saliann Scarpulla, who allowed Duran to go free on cash or bond and ordered him to surrender his passport to his lawyers while the appeal is pending. (abcnews.com) Duran’s lawyers said the appeals court recognized “legitimate appellate issues” and argued he was neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. At trial, Duran testified that he made a split-second decision because he believed Duprey’s scooter was heading toward officers. (cbsnews.com) Prosecutors argued the throw was reckless and said Duran was trying to “save an arrest,” not prevent an immediate threat. They told the court a warning shout would have been a safer response. (cbsnews.com) The case drew unusual attention inside the department because Duran became the first on-duty New York Police Department officer in a decade to be found guilty of killing a civilian. His union said thousands of officers signed a petition asking the judge to spare him prison. (nbcnewyork.com) The Sergeants Benevolent Association said its lawyers secured the bail ruling, and local reports said the union paid Duran’s bail after the order was issued. (pix11.com) Duprey’s family has disputed police claims that he sold drugs and fled officers, and activists protested outside court at sentencing while officers in New York Police Department jackets filled the hallway inside. Duran now remains free while the appeal moves forward. (nbcnewyork.com)
