Convicted ex-NYPD sergeant Erik Duran was reportedly launched from jail on $300,000 bail on Monday, April 20, as he appeals his second-degree manslaughter conviction for killing fleeing Bronx man Eric Duprey by throwing a cooler at his head in 2023. He was sentenced to 3 to 9 years in jail earlier this month.
Background on the incident
On Aug. 23, Duprey allegedly bought cocaine to an undercover officer within the Bronx, in line with the Workplace of the New York State Legal professional Common. The 30-year-old man allegedly fled on a motorized scooter in the course of the arrest try. Duran picked up and chucked a close-by picnic cooler at Duprey’s head, inflicting him to crash. He was quickly pronounced useless.
Like all police killings, the legal professional common’s workplace investigated the incident. Finally, Duran was the primary officer convicted over an on-duty civilian demise since Peter Liang for fatally taking pictures Akai Gurley in 2016.
What individuals are saying
Duran’s union, the Sergeants Benevolent Affiliation, printed his assertion after the information:
“At the start, I need to thank my household, significantly my spouse, my youngsters, and my mother and father for all their unconditional love and assist all through this ordeal,” he wrote. “I additionally need to thank God for giving me the power and guiding me via the darkness. I thank my total authorized staff for by no means giving up of their pursuit of justice. And at last, I need to thank my union, the SBA, my brothers and sisters within the NYPD, and my brothers and sisters in blue world wide.
“Your unwavering assist and solidarity won’t ever be forgotten. Thanks everybody in your prayers. I now stay up for seeing my household and preventing my enchantment with the identical willpower I demonstrated all through my profession within the NYPD
Black Lives Matter of Higher New York leaders Chivona and Hawk Newsome launched a press release calling the choice to grant Duran bail pending enchantment “an appalling miscarriage of justice.”
“After a good trial and a historic conviction, the system has as soon as once more chosen to prioritize the consolation of a killer with a badge over the protection and dignity of our group,” they wrote. “It is a calculated effort to undermine Decide Man Mitchell. By granting this keep, the appellate courtroom has signaled that the experience and authority of a veteran Black jurist — and the choice of a jury of our friends — imply nothing after they battle with the pursuits of the ‘Blue Wall.’
“It’s a slap within the face to each New Yorker who believes that nobody is above the legislation. Whereas 1000’s of Black and Brown New Yorkers languish in Rikers Island with out ever being convicted of a criminal offense, a person discovered responsible of manslaughter is allowed to stroll free due to a back-door authorized maneuver.”
