Black Lives Matter Greater New York founders Hawk and Chivona Newsome protested outside of Attorney General Letitia James’ office to demand she seek the maximum sentence for NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran.
Photo by Dean Moses
Attorney General Letitia James should throw the book at a disgraced cop convicted of killing a protester with a cooler thrown at the victim’s head, several prominent criminal justice advocates demanded on Wednesday.
Black Lives Matter Greater New York founders Hawk and Chivona Newsome gathered outside Attorney General Letitia James’ Lower Manhattan office on April 8 to demand she seek the maximum sentence for convicted NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran.
The Attorney General’s office successfully prosecuted Duran earlier this year for the killing of 30-year-old Eric Duprey, who died after the former sergeant hurled a cooler at his head during a protest in the Bronx on Aug. 23, 2023. Duprey was fleeing on a scooter when he was fatally struck in the head; he suffered multiple fractures and a brain bleed.
Duran was convicted of a manslaughter charge during a bench trial in Bronx Criminal Court in February, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, April 9. Activists who sought Duran’s prosecution, however, are not livid at James after learning her office is asking the presiding judge, Guy Mitchell, to order Duran to a prison term of 3 to 9 years.
“We advocate, we work hard, we rally the community to get a cop who crushed someone’s head with a cooler convicted of manslaughter. We did our jobs, and now, if the attorney general Letitia James has it in her hands, she’s going to give this cop three years. Brother, they want to give a killer cop three years,” Hawk Newsome said on April 8. “When was the last time you heard of somebody in New York state being convicted of a killing and getting three to nine years?”
Jan. 14 marked the first time an NYPD cop was placed on trial in a decade. Sergeant Erik Duran appeared in the Bronx Hall of Justice, located at 265 East 161 Street, wearing a blue suit and accompanied by several of his colleagues. In the coming days a judge, not a jury, will decide his fate based on the evidence presented.Photo by Dean Moses
The activists called upon James to seek the maximum sentence of 15 years. They argue that, with a three-year sentence, Duran will serve far less.
“[Duprey’s] children don’t have a father. Their father’s already missed three of their birthdays. And you mean to tell me that this officer will not spend three of his birthdays behind bars? That is the height of insanity,” Hawk Newsome added.
Hawk and Chivona Newsome have protested since the killing occurred and attended the trial alongside the Duprey family. After calling for accountability and spending time with loved ones, Chivona Newsome demanded a maximum sentence.
“I need Letitia James to prosecute cops and to recommend sentences for cops with the same fire she came for President Donald Trump with. This is more than politics. This is about humanity,” Chivona Newsome said. “Letitia James, we count on you to do the right thing. You are the moral compass of this city.”
The Attorney General‘s Office declined to comment when amNewYork contacted them.
Meanwhile, an online petition with more than 11,000 names urged leniency for Duran at his Thursday sentencing.
Chivona Newsome. Photo by Dean Moses