Ex-NYPD officer gets prison for tossing cooler that caused fatal crash
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Former NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for manslaughter in the 2023 death of Eric Duprey, who died after Duran threw a cooler at him while he fled on a motorized scooter.
- The judge rejected Duran's claim that he acted to protect officers, stating the cooler was thrown out of frustration and that Duprey might have been captured later without the incident.
- Duran is the first former NYPD officer in at least two decades to be sentenced to prison for an on-duty death, and his sentence aligns with prosecutors' recommendations.
- Duprey's family and partner rejected Duran's apology, while the Sergeants Benevolent Association criticized the sentence, warning it could affect officers' split-second decisions.
- Duprey, a delivery driver and father of three, was accused by police of selling drugs and fleeing, but his mother disputes these claims and described the incident as unjust.
