NYPD on trial: Sergeant accused of murdering man in the Bronx with cooler is first cop prosecuted in more than a decade amNewYork

"The bench trial for NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran, accused of murdering a man by throwing a cooler at his head, began in the Bronx on Wednesday the first active member of the department to be prosecuted in more than a decade. Demonstrators outside the Bronx Hall of Justice, located at 265 East 161st St., rallied to demand Duran's conviction as the case got underway inside."

"Angel Chiohh, of the Attorney General's office, made a long opening statement on Jan. 14, telling Judge Guy Mitchell that Duran quite literally threw caution to the wind that summer's day when he allegedly hurled the cooler at the 30-year-old Duprey, out of apparent frustration for a drug bust gone awry. According to Chiohh, police had arrested the wrong man and Duprey attempted to make his escape on a motorized scooter. That's when Duran allegedly lifted a nearby cooler and chucked it at Duprey."

A bench trial for NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran began in the Bronx on Jan. 14, marking the first prosecution of an active department member in over a decade. Demonstrators outside the Bronx Hall of Justice rallied to demand conviction while Duran, wearing a blue suit and accompanied by colleagues, appeared in court. The Attorney General's office is prosecuting and told Judge Guy Mitchell that Duran allegedly hurled a loaded cooler at 30-year-old Eric Duprey after Duprey tried to flee on a motorized scooter. Both prosecution and defense agree Duprey had been caught selling drugs in August 2023; the core dispute concerns the moments immediately after the arrest and whether the cooler-throwing was intentional.

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