Nearly 11,000 law-enforcement officers are trying to keep Sgt. Erik Duran out of prison, signing a petition on his behalf after a Bronx judge convicted him in February of manslaughter for throwing a cooler that struck and killed a man on a motorized scooter in August 2023. The effort, driven by police-aligned groups, has cracked open a fresh round in New York City’s long-running fight over how far on-duty officers can go when they use force. Duran’s lawyers say they plan to put the signatures directly in front of the judge who will decide his fate.
According to New York Daily News, the petition, organized by the Sergeants Benevolent Association, carries more than 11,000 names, with roughly 7,000 coming from NYPD members. It also reportedly includes signatures from federal and out-of-state agencies, among them Scotland Yard and the Ottawa Police Service. Defense attorneys told the paper they intend to hand the packet to Bronx Justice Guy Mitchell, asking him for a sentence that does not include incarceration. Union leaders say the volume of signatures shows broad support from the rank and file.
Conviction, evidence and surveillance video
Bronx Justice Guy Mitchell found Duran guilty after a bench trial in February, concluding that surveillance footage from the Aug. 23, 2023 buy-and-bust operation showed the sergeant grab a red-and-white cooler and throw it at 30-year-old Eric Duprey. Duprey crashed and suffered fatal head injuries. The case was prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office, and family members reacted emotionally outside the courthouse when the verdict was read. As reported by AP, the judge said Duran’s status as a police officer "has no bearing" and that he would be treated like any other defendant.
What played out at trial
On the stand, Duran testified that he threw the cooler to protect other officers and later told the court the cooler "wasn’t heavy," a detail reported by New York Daily News. Prosecutors painted a very different picture. They argued that Duran lifted the cooler with both hands, which they said showed he understood the potential danger, and described the throw as reckless, according to amNewYork. The defense cast the move as a split-second decision to protect lives, while the state argued Duran could have warned his colleagues instead of turning a cooler into a projectile.
Union pressure and family calls for accountability
The Sergeants Benevolent Association is leading the petition drive, and its president, Vincent Vallelong, has labeled the verdict a "miscarriage of justice." He argues that sending an officer to prison in a case like this would send a chilling message to cops on patrol, according to amNewYork. Duprey’s wife and other relatives, for their part, have said any sentence should reflect the gravity of his death and described feeling relieved when the guilty verdict was announced, AP reported. The NYPD confirmed that Duran was dismissed following the felony conviction, as required under state law.
What’s next
Duran faces a possible prison term of up to 15 years on a Class C manslaughter conviction under New York law, according to the state statute and commentary on the penal code. His legal team says it will push the petition at sentencing while pursuing appeals and other legal options. The sheer scope of the petition, which organizers say spans local, federal and international officers, highlights the ongoing tension over policing and accountability that courts, and potentially appellate judges, may be asked to navigate as the case moves forward.
