By SÍLE MOLONEY

ERIC DUPREY WAS killed during a police undercover sting operation in on the evening of Aug. 23, 2023, in the vicinity of 2505 Aqueduct Avenue, an NYPD officer the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx. 
Photo courtesy of Partisan Defense Committee

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the sentencing of 3 to 9 years on Thursday, April 9, of former NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran, 38, of Putnam County, for causing the death of Eric Duprey on Aug. 23, 2023, during a drug bust operation in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx.

 

As reported, on Friday, Feb. 6, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the conviction of Duran, of Putnam County, on the charge of manslaughter in the second degree in relation to Duprey’s death, following a bench trial (meaning no jury) before Judge Guy Mitchell at Bronx Criminal Court. Judge Mitchell denied a stay of execution in the case.

 

Ahead of the sentencing, as reported, Black Lives Matter of Greater New York held a press conference on Tuesday, April 7, outside Bronx Borough Hall in the Concourse section of The Bronx, and called on various Bronx elected officials to voice their opinion on the case.

NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran gets 3 to 9 years for the killing of Eric Duprey during a drug bust in Fordham Manor in Aug 2023. The defense plans to appeal. More to follow. Black Lives Matter leaves the courtroom Thursday, April 9, inside Bronx Criminal Court with Duprey’s family. Video by Síle Moloney

Among other demands, they specifically requested that the politicians each send a letter to the presiding judge in the case and request a minimum sentence of 15 years for Duran.

 

According to the NYPD and prosecutors with the Office of the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation, and as previously reported, on Aug. 23, 2023, at around 5 p.m., Duran, working undercover as part of an NYPD’s buy-and-bust drug operation or Narcotics Borough Bronx (NBBX) Tactical Response Unit, threw a picnic cooler at Duprey at 2505 Aqueduct Avenue, between West 190th and 192nd Streets in Fordham Manor, as Duprey was trying to escape the sting on a scooter, knocking him to the ground. He incurred head and other injuries and died at the scene.

 

The court heard that Duprey had sold a small quantity of cocaine to an undercover officer, and then other plain clothes NBBX team members moved onto the block to arrest him. Prosecutors said Duprey got on to a motorized scooter, apparently attempting to avoid arrest. They said Duprey rode the scooter down the sidewalk of Aqueduct Avenue, Duran grabbed the picnic cooler off a nearby table and forcefully heaved it at Duprey’s head, causing him to lose control of the scooter and fall into the street at high speed.

HAWK NEWSOME, CO-FOUNDER of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York joins the mother of Eric Duprey as and her translator followed by Chivona Newsome (beige coat), another co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, and others, as they leave Bronx Criminal Court in The Bronx after the sentencing of 3 to 9 years of former NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran for the August 2023 manslaughter of Bronxite, Eric Duprey, in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx during an undercover drug sting operation. 
Screenshot by Síle Moloney

In January 2024, as reported, James announced manslaughter charges had been brought against Duran in the context of the fatal water cooler throw, having opened an investigation into the case in September 2023.

 

A video, also released in September 2023 by the AG’s office, as reported, shows Duprey falling from his vehicle after he was struck with the cooler and crashing onto the street. In a statement following Duprey’s death, the NYPD said, in part, “The NYPD is committed to ensuring there will be a full, thorough, and transparent investigation of this incident to determine the facts and to take the appropriate steps forward.”

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, officials from the Office of the New York Attorney General (OAG) said its Office of Special Investigations (OSI) assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission.

Sentencing 4/9/26 of former NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran for Aug. 2023 Bx manslaughter of Eric Duprey. Black Lives Matter leaves the courtroom Thursday, April 9, inside Bronx Criminal Court with Duprey’s family. V2 Video by Síle Moloney

 

They said under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

 

As reported, Hawk Newsome was previously arrested in midtown Manhattan in September 2023 for protesting Duprey’s death without a permit.

 

The defense plans to appeal. Read some of our prior coverage of the incident and case here, here, here, here, and here.

 

More to follow.