A man fleeing a drug bust on a scooter in the Bronx, New York City, has died after an undercover cop threw a cooler at him.
Eric Duprey was trying to get away when he collapsed just after 5:20 p.m. Wednesday — and now NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran has been suspended while police investigate his involvement in the fatal incident.
Sergeant Duran was working undercover with the Bronx Narcotics Division at the time, running a buy-and-bust operation on Aqueduct Avenue. According to police, Duprey sold drugs to the plainclothes officer, who then tried to arrest him.
The 30-year-old Duprey quickly fled the situation, after which the officer threw a cooler at him – which he had taken from a bystander who was on the street with his family.
Due to the fatal blow of the cool box – which was filled with soda cans – the suspect lost control of his scooter and crashed into a parked Jeep.
Eric Duprey, 30, died Wednesday after being hit by the cooler. He was on the run from a drug bust in the Bronx and was riding a scooter
The suspect, Eric Duprey, was trying to get away when he collapsed just after 5:20 p.m. Wednesday — and now NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran has been suspended while police investigate his involvement in the fatal incident
In the photo: 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 Bronx Street.
An image obtained by DailyMail.com showed the red cooler with a white handle being lobbed at the man during the drug bust.
The NYPD said in a statement: “Earlier today, Sergeant Erik Duran of the New York Police Department was suspended without pay after a deadly incident in the Bronx on Wednesday afternoon involving a man attempting to flee from police on a motorcycle.
“The city coroner will determine the cause of death.
The New York State Attorney General’s Office is leading the investigation into this incident with the assistance of the New York City Police Department’s Force Investigation Division.
“The NYPD is committed to ensuring that there is a full, thorough, and transparent investigation into this incident to establish the facts and take appropriate steps forward.”
You can see the red cooler lying on the ground on the sidewalk
Due to the fatal blow of the cool box – which was filled with soda cans – the suspect lost control of his scooter and crashed into a parked Jeep
A 42-year-old man, whose ice box was used during the ordeal, recounted NYDailyNews: “(Eric) was on a bike and was heading north when the police started chasing him.
Then he made a U-turn and drove onto the sidewalk.
“The officer then grabbed my cooler, which was filled with soda cans and water bottles, and hit him.”
Witnesses described how a family celebration took place nearby – and the children were “almost paralyzed by what they saw.”
They continued, “I think he died the moment he fell to the ground, because there was no movement. The police tried to resuscitate, but that didn’t help.’
Jose Colon, the dead man’s stepfather, denounced the police for the actions.
He said, “Why couldn’t the agent use any device he had permission to use? Why did he hit him with a cooler? What happened to the cop’s Taser?”
Duprey’s wife Orlyanis Velez added: “We were not given any information. I’m scared because (the police) act like nothing happened.’
According to public records, Officer Duran joined the force in 2010 and has faced 17 allegations of misconduct throughout his career.
Only once, for an unnecessary stop, was substantiated.
He is 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 cops to pick up something and throw it at a suspect.”