A man fleeing the New York Police Department (NYPD) on a motorcycle was killed Wednesday after an officer allegedly threw a plastic picnic cooler at his head, causing a fatal crash.
The victim, Eric Duprey, 30, lost control of his motorcycle after being struck by the cooler thrown by Sergeant Erik Duran during a drug operation by the Bronx Narcotics Unit, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Duprey was allegedly caught selling drugs to an undercover officer.
“Earlier today, New York City Police Department Sergeant Erik Duran was suspended from duty without pay following a fatal incident in the Bronx,” NYPD wrote in a statement. (RELATED: Man Brutally Beats 75-Year-Old For Trying To Get On Crowded Elevator, Police Say)
Please read our official statement. pic.twitter.com/3sTyJmLKSS
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 24, 2023
Surveillance footage shows Duprey riding on a sidewalk towards a group that included Duran, who was not in uniform, AP News reported. Duran picked up a picnic cooler and hurled it at Duprey. The impact caused Duprey to lose control, crash into a tree, hit a metal barricade, and collide with a parked car.
Duprey was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the crash around 5:30 p.m. Duprey’s mother, Gretchen Soto, claims her son wasn’t involved in drug dealing and was on a video call with her when the connection abruptly ended near the incident site.
“He wasn’t fleeing. He wasn’t fleeing. He was just on the motorcycle talking to me on the video chat. And he passed by that place when all of a sudden the call cut out,” she told AP News. The New York Attorney General’s office is leading the inquiry with the full cooperation of the NYPD, NYPD wrote in a statement.