A man fleeing a drug bust on a scooter in the Bronx, New York, died after an undercover cop threw a cooler at him.
Eric Duprey was trying to get away when he crashed to the ground shortly after 5.20pm Wednesday – and now NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran has been suspended while cops investigate his involvement in the fatal incident.
Sergeant Duran was working undercover at the Bronx Narcotics Division at the time, conducting a buy-and-destroy operation on Aqueduct Avenue. According to the police, Duprey sold drugs to the plainclothes policeman, who then tried to arrest him.
Duprey, 30, quickly fled the situation, at which point the police officer threw a cooler at him – which he had snatched from a passerby who was on the street with his family.
The deadly impact of the cooler – filled with soda cans – caused the suspect to lose control of his scooter and hit a parked Jeep.
Eric Duprey, 30, died after being struck by the cooler on Wednesday. He was fleeing a drug deal in the Bronx and traveling by scooter
Suspect Eric Duprey was trying to flee when he crashed to the ground shortly after 5.20pm on Wednesday – and now NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran has been suspended while cops investigate his involvement in the incident deadly.
Pictured: the cooler. Sergeant Duran was suspended early Thursday morning
He fell to the ground and was pronounced dead on the spot.
Sergeant Duran was suspended early Thursday morning.
CCTV footage shows the moment the cooler hit the man on the street in the Bronx.
An image obtained by DailyMail.com showed the red cooler with a white handle that was thrown at the man during the drug seizure.
New York Police said in a statement, “Early today, New York City Police Sgt. Erik Duran was suspended from duty without pay following a fatal incident Wednesday after- midday in the Bronx, involving a man who was trying to flee police on a motorcycle.
“The city medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
“The New York State Attorney General’s Office is investigating this incident with the assistance of the New York City Police Police Investigations Division.
“The NYPD is committed to ensuring that there will be a full, thorough and transparent investigation into this incident to determine the facts and take appropriate action.”
The red cooler can be seen lying on the ground on the sidewalk
The deadly impact of the cooler – filled with soda cans – caused the suspect to lose control of his scooter and hit a parked Jeep.
A 42-year-old man, whose cooler was used during the ordeal, said new YorkailyNews: ‘(Eric) was on the bike, heading north when the cops started chasing him.
“Then he turned around and ended up on the sidewalk.
“The cop then took my cooler, which was filled with soda cans and water bottles, and hit him.”
Witnesses described a family party taking place nearby – and the children being ‘almost paralyzed by what they saw’.
They continued: “I think he died the moment he fell to the ground, as there was no movement. The cops tried to perform CPR, but it didn’t help.
José Colon, the father-in-law of the deceased, criticized the police for these acts.
He said, “Why couldn’t the policeman use equipment that he was authorized to use? Why did he hit him with a cooler? What happened to the cop’s Taser?
Duprey’s wife, Orlyanis Velez, added: “We have not received any information. I’m scared because (the police) act as if nothing has happened.
According to public records, Constable Duran joined law enforcement in 2010 and faced 17 charges of wrongdoing during his career.
Only one, for unnecessary stoppage, was justified.
He was suspended without pay.
Duran was reprimanded by his colleagues. According to the NYDN, a police official said, “The use of force here is not in accordance with our guidelines.
“We don’t train officers to pick up something and throw it at a suspect.”
