‘COOLER’ SLAY RAP
Cop charged in death of suspect
An NYPD sergeant was charged Tuesday with seconddegree manslaughter in the August death of a scooter-riding drug suspect who crashed after the cop threw a cooler at him.
Sgt. Erik Duran, 36, pleaded not guilty to that charge — which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison — as well as assault in the first and second degrees, and criminally negligent homicide in the death of Eric Duprey, 30, on Aug. 23, 2023, in The Bronx.
Duran was conducting a buyand-bust operation on Aqueduct Avenue at around 5 p.m. in Kingsbridge Heights when Duprey took off on a motorized scooter, said state Attorney General Letitia James’ office, which is handling the prosecution.
As Duprey made his escape, Duran grabbed a cooler off a nearby table and threw it at the suspect, hitting him in the head and throwing him off balance, James’ office said in a statement.
Duprey sideswiped a tree before he was hurled from the scooter and banged his head on the curb, ultimately landing under a parked vehicle, the attorney general said.
Surveillance video obtained by The Post shows the moment the white cooler struck Duprey, who then veers from the sidewalk into the street before tumbling from his ride as bystanders surround him.
Duprey died there of “blunt force injuries of the head,” authorities said. Duran was suspended and later placed on modified duty, according to James.
He was released on a $150,000 bond following his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, where more than 100 cops turned out in support.
“This indictment sends a clear message to society and every law-enforcement officer in the state,” John D’Alessandro, one of Duran’s lawyers, said in a statement after the hearing. “In today’s New York, the streets belong to the criminals.”
Duprey put “countless citizens and police officers in grave danger” when he hopped on the scooter as cops tried to arrest him, the attorney claimed.
Duprey’s family, including his widow, Orlyanis Velez, was also present in court, but did not speak to reporters.
Walter “Hawk” Newsome, cofounder of the New York chapter of Black Lives Matter, gave a press conference after court, telling reporters that Duran “was no hero” and that “You do not hit people with coolers. I was afraid because it took too long, but I’m happy to see that justice delayed is not justice deferred.”
A law-enforcement source told The Post that the NYPD Patrol Guide is “intentionally vague, but there’s no direct, ‘don’t throw stuff ’ ” directive.