New York City Police Department sergeant Erik Duran was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and assault in connection with the fatal shooting of Eric Duprey during a botched Bronx narcotics sting operation last year. Prosecutors argued that Duran's use of deadly force was unnecessary and excessive, claiming he was "flustered" by the unfolding situation and recklessly tossed a heavy cooler at Duprey.
The prosecution alleged that Duran's actions were not justified by any perceived threat to his own life or safety, but rather were intended to salvage an arrest that had gone awry. Surveillance footage shows Duprey riding a scooter down a sidewalk at a speed of 30 miles per hour before he suddenly veers into the path of Duran and others.
According to prosecutors, Duprey was not a threat to anyone's life and did not deserve to die. Instead, Duran chose violence, resulting in Duprey losing control of his scooter and crashing into a tree, where he suffered fatal head injuries.
The defense, however, argued that Duran was acting in self-defense, claiming that Duprey's reckless behavior posed an imminent threat to the sergeant's life. The defense suggested that Duran had only seconds to react and that throwing the cooler was a desperate measure to save himself and others from harm.
Durant pleaded not guilty to all charges at his trial before Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell. As part of the NYPD, Duran is facing significant scrutiny over his actions, with his suspension without pay being later corrected by the department. The case has sparked heated debate about police accountability and the use of deadly force in high-pressure situations.
Family members of Duprey testified outside the courtroom, with his mother describing the traumatic experience of learning of her son's death through a phone call and looking at his autopsy photos. She said that justice was all she wanted for her late son. The trial is ongoing, with Duran facing potential jail time if convicted on any count.
The prosecution alleged that Duran's actions were not justified by any perceived threat to his own life or safety, but rather were intended to salvage an arrest that had gone awry. Surveillance footage shows Duprey riding a scooter down a sidewalk at a speed of 30 miles per hour before he suddenly veers into the path of Duran and others.
According to prosecutors, Duprey was not a threat to anyone's life and did not deserve to die. Instead, Duran chose violence, resulting in Duprey losing control of his scooter and crashing into a tree, where he suffered fatal head injuries.
The defense, however, argued that Duran was acting in self-defense, claiming that Duprey's reckless behavior posed an imminent threat to the sergeant's life. The defense suggested that Duran had only seconds to react and that throwing the cooler was a desperate measure to save himself and others from harm.
Durant pleaded not guilty to all charges at his trial before Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell. As part of the NYPD, Duran is facing significant scrutiny over his actions, with his suspension without pay being later corrected by the department. The case has sparked heated debate about police accountability and the use of deadly force in high-pressure situations.
Family members of Duprey testified outside the courtroom, with his mother describing the traumatic experience of learning of her son's death through a phone call and looking at his autopsy photos. She said that justice was all she wanted for her late son. The trial is ongoing, with Duran facing potential jail time if convicted on any count.
police accountability needs to be serious, the defense saying he was in self-defense just doesn't add up... that guy was riding a scooter down the sidewalk at 30mph and then crashes into a tree after veering off course, what did he expect? 
Durant's actions were reckless and unnecessary, the prosecution has some solid evidence against him. I'm keeping an eye on this case, justice needs to be served for Eric Duprey's family 
we gotta make sure officers are held responsible for their actions, not just gettin' off scot free.
It's crazy how we always think the person in control gets to decide what's best, but sometimes it's just not. The cops are supposed to be protectin us, but this dude throws a heavy cooler at some kid on a scooter...what's that even? 
This cop's actions are like a ripple effect - it affects the whole community. We need more accountability and less of this "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. The real tragedy here is that Eric Duprey was just tryin to get home after a long day...he didn't deserve to die over some botched arrest. 
. I'm all for holding people in power accountable, but can't we also try to understand the pressure they're under? It's like, Eric Duprey was just cruising down the sidewalk, no big deal 
... and then boom, he gets thrown into a tree 
.
.
...I mean, you watch the vid of him riding down the sidewalk and suddenly veering into the cops, and it's like he's just going for a joyride or something? 
But no, instead of getting scared and stopping, he crashes into a tree and dies. It's just not right.
, they're going through so much pain and trauma over this senseless tragedy. the fact that he was just riding a scooter down the sidewalk at 30mph and then suddenly veered into Erik Duran's path is wild 
. i'm not sure what the defense is trying to spin here, but throwing a heavy cooler at someone? that's just crazy talk 
. it's gonna be super tough for Erik Duran to explain away this one...
. And the fact that the defense claims Duprey posed an "imminent threat" to Duran's life just doesn't add up - it sounds like they're trying to spin this whole thing to make Duran look like a hero 
. I mean, who throws a heavy cooler at someone just because they're riding a scooter down the sidewalk? It's just common sense, right? 
. This whole thing is a classic case of "he said vs she said" and we're all supposed to believe that the cops are innocent 
? Not buying it 
. A heavy cooler flying at someone's head? That's not self-defense, that's a murder weapon 
.
I'm all for keeping people in check, but not at the cost of innocent lives. 30 miles per hour on a scooter isn't exactly speeding, and it sounds like Duran had plenty of time to react... or even talk things out. 
and what really gets me is the fact that duran's gonna face potential jail time for it... justice should be served ASAP 
i dont care about his version of events or what he was thinking, one person died because of his recklessness 
i mean, throwing a heavy cooler at someone is not the answer, regardless of what they did. it just feels like duran made a split second decision that ended up killing someone. 
. And now his family's gotta deal with the trauma of losing their loved one in a botched sting operation. It's like, what even is the point of this justice system sometimes? 
.