Former NYPD officer Erik Duran released on bail while appealing conviction
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A former New York City police officer sentenced to three to nine years in prison for fatally throwing a cooler at a fleeing suspect will be released from prison while he appeals his conviction.
Erik Duran was granted $300,000 bail after a state appeals court ruled Friday. New York Post reported.
“I am delighted to announce that the SBA’s legal team has granted bail for Erik Duran and that he will be released from prison and remain free pending appeal,” Vincent Vallelong, president of the Sergeants’ Benevolent Association, said in a statement. he said.
“This is a huge win for Erik and his family and law enforcement agencies across the country!” Vallelong added.
GOVERNOR CANDIDATE SWORN TO FORGIVE THE POLICE CONVICTED FOR MASSACRE AFTER THE DEATH OF THE ESCAPE SUSPECT
Former New York City police sergeant Erik Duran sits during his sentencing hearing at the Bronx County Hall of Justice on April 9, 2026 in New York City. He was ticketed for throwing a picnic cooler full of booze at fleeing suspect Eric Duprey; He later crashed his motor scooter and died. (Michael R. Sisak/AP)
Duran’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told Fox Digital that his client’s release was no surprise.
“We are very pleased, but not surprised, that the Appellate Division found that there are legitimate appellate issues in Sergeant Duran’s case,” Aidala said. “It was clear to the court that he did not pose a flight risk or a danger to the community and that he had the right to be home with his family during the appeal period.”
Duran, 38, a married father of three, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in February for the death of Eric Duprey in August 2023. While Duprey was trying to evade arrest on a motorcycle during an undercover drug bust in the Bronx, Duran threw an Igloo cooler at him, causing him to hit the pavement.
Eric Duprey died in August 2023 when an NYPD officer threw a cooler at him while fleeing a drug bust in the Bronx. (WNYW)
He died instantly.
Duran claimed he was trying to protect other officers from Duprey, who was riding a moped on the sidewalk.
At sentencing, Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell said the sentence would serve as a “general deterrent” against reckless behavior by other police officers.
He rejected Duran’s defense that his actions were justified and concluded that the former officer threw away the cooler because he was upset that Duprey escaped.
NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran appears in court during his arraignment at the Bronx Hall of Justice on January 23, 2024. Duran was charged in August 2023 in connection with the death of Eric Duprey during an undercover drug operation. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News via Getty Images)
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“They had enough to investigate him and catch him on a different day,” Mitchell said of police. “The difference is that the deceased will no longer be seen by their family.”
