Ex-NYPD Officer Who Killed Man With Picnic Cooler Released On Bail

NEW YORK CITY — A former NYPD sergeant who was sentenced after he tossed a picnic cooler full of drinks that killed a fleeing suspect on scooter has been released from prison.

Erik Duran was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for the death of Eric Duprey, 30, in 2023 but has now been released pending an appeal process, according to attorneys for the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

Attorneys were able to secure a motion for the bail application Duran was freed on $300,000 bail on Friday.

Before his sentencing on April 9, Duran had been facing up to 15 years in prison.

In February, Duran was convicted of second-degree manslaughter.

According to prosecutors, Duran was at the scene as part of a "buy-and-bust” operation in the Bronx on Aug. 23, 2023. At the time, Duprey was accused of selling drugs to an undercover officer.

Surveillance video shows the moments Duprey drives off in the scooter and Duran picks the cooler and throws it at him.

Duprey lost control of the scooter and then slammed into a nearby tree before hitting his head on the pavement.

The police union recently gathered more than 11,000 signatures asking the judge to spare Duran of jail time.