NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A man fleeing a drug bust in the Bronx, , lost his life after an undercover police officer threw a cooler at him.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, August 23, leaving Eric Duprey, aged 30, fatally injured. The officer involved, NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran, has been suspended pending an investigation into his role in the incident.
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What happened to Eric Duprey?
Sergeant Duran, who was working undercover in the Bronx Narcotics Division, was conducting a buy-and-bust operation on Aqueduct Avenue at the time of the incident.
According to police reports, Duprey had allegedly sold drugs to the plain-clothed officer before attempting to flee.
In an attempt to apprehend Duprey, Sergeant Duran threw a cooler at him, which he had taken from a bystander present on the street with his family.
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The impact of the cooler, filled with soda cans, caused Duprey to lose control of his scooter and collide with a parked Jeep. Tragically, he fell to the ground and was pronounced dead at the scene.
CCTV footage captured the moment the cooler struck Duprey on the Bronx street, offering a chilling glimpse into the fatal encounter.
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Sergeant Duran was suspended from duty without pay following the incident.
"Early today, New York City Police Department Sergeant Erik Duran was suspended from duty without pay following a fatal incident in the Bronx on Wednesday afternoon involving a man attempting to flee from the police on a motorcycle," The NYPD said.
"The city’s medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
The New York State Attorney General’s Office is leading the investigation into this incident with the assistance of the New York City Police Department’s Force Investigation Division," the statement added.
"The NYPD is committed to ensuring that there will be a full, thorough, and transparent investigation of this incident to determine the facts and to take the appropriate steps forward."
A witness to the incident recounted to the , "[Eric] was on the bike, moving north when the cops started chasing him."
The witness added, "Then he took a U-turn and was riding on the sidewalk. The cop then took my cooler, which was filled with soda cans, water bottles, and hit him."
Witnesses also described the distressing scene as a family party was nearby, leaving children traumatized by the unfolding tragedy.
One of them offered, "I think he died the moment he fell on the ground, because there was no movement. The cops tried doing CPR but that did not do any good."
What did Erik Duprey's family say?
Jose Colon, Duprey's stepfather, criticized the use of force by the police.
"Why couldn’t the cop use any piece of equipment which was authorized for him to use? Why did he hit him with a cooler? What happened to the cop’s Taser?" he questioned.
The grieving family expressed frustration at the lack of information and transparency in the incident's aftermath.
"We were given no information. I am scared as (police) are acting as if nothing happened," Duprey's wife Orlyanis Velez added.
Erika Duprey Soto, Eric's sister, expressed her disbelief at the officer's actions.
"It’s crazy that the cop threw a cooler at him. He used to work as a delivery man for Uber, Doordash. He used the same scooter for deliveries that he was riding yesterday when he was attacked. He’s gone. I loved my brother to death," she said.
Records reveal that Officer Duran joined the force in 2010 and has faced 17 accusations of wrongdoing throughout his career. Only one accusation, related to an unnecessary stop, was substantiated.
Duran has been suspended without pay, and his actions have been criticized by fellow officers.
A police official noted, "The use of force here is not consistent with our guidelines. We don’t train officers to pick up something and throw it at a suspect."
As investigations unfold, the tragedy has raised questions about the appropriate use of force and the need for transparency and accountability in law enforcement actions.
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