{"id":203824,"date":"2026-04-20T21:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/203824\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:16:07","slug":"ex-nypd-sergeant-convicted-in-bronx-cooler-death-released-on-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/203824\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-NYPD sergeant convicted in Bronx cooler death released on appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former NYPD sergeant convicted of manslaughter<\/a> for throwing a cooler at a man during a drug bust was released from state prison Monday, according to corrections officials.<\/p>\n

Erik Duran, 38, is leaving Elmira Correctional Facility in Western New York less than two weeks after a Bronx judge sentenced him to three to nine years<\/a> in prison, following a court order for his release, correction officials said. Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent Vallelong said in a statement that Duran will remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis a major win for Erik and his family and for law enforcement officers around the country,\u201d Vallelong said.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Duran thanked his family, union and members of law enforcement for their \u201cunwavering support and solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI now look forward to seeing my family and fighting my appeal with the same determination I demonstrated throughout my career in the NYPD,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Duran was the first NYPD officer to be convicted of killing someone while on duty in a decade. Prosecutors accused him of using excessive force<\/a> when he threw a cooler filled with drinks and ice at Eric Duprey, while Duprey fled arrest on a motorbike in August 2023. The cooler caused Duprey, 30, to lose control of his bike, skid along the street and crash underneath a car, according to the New York attorney general\u2019s office, which investigated the case. Duprey died at the scene.<\/p>\n

Duran\u2019s attorneys urged Bronx Justice Guy Mitchell not to sentence him to prison time, saying their client was not a safety threat and should not face incarceration for a decision he made in two-and-a-half seconds to protect people. They argued he has already faced enough punishment by losing his job and his pension. The NYPD dismissed Duran after his conviction.<\/p>\n

But Mitchell said at sentencing that the former sergeant\u2019s actions were not justified and that \u201che should be held accountable for his lack of judgment.\u201d The judge also said he hoped the sentence he handed down would deter other law enforcement officers from breaking the law. Mitchell denied an initial request from Duran\u2019s attorneys to keep him out of prison pending an appeal.<\/p>\n

Chivona Newsome, cofounder of Black Lives Matter Greater New York, said Duprey\u2019s family is angry and struggling to process the news of Duran\u2019s release.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the rules changed after we won,\u201d Newsome said.<\/p>\n

The National Police Defense Foundation has been fundraising money for Duran\u2019s appeal<\/a>. The New York Islanders hockey team encouraged fans to donate<\/a> at a game last week, according to multiple news reports.<\/p>\n

Arthur Aidala, Duran\u2019s appellate attorney, said in a statement that the Appellate Division \u201cfound that there are legitimate issues in Sgt. Duran\u2019s case\u201d and that he is \u201centitled to be at home with his family during the pendency of his appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A former NYPD sergeant convicted of manslaughter for throwing a cooler at a man during a drug bust…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":100275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":{"0":"post-203824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-bronx","8":"tag-bronx","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-the-bronx","13":"tag-the-bronx-headlines","14":"tag-the-bronx-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}