For every police officer who has ever responded to a call, chased a fleeing suspect, or stepped between danger and the public, our brother needs your support.
Sgt. Erik Duran is:
A 15-year NYPD veteran
A supervisor trusted to lead a narcotics unit
A father of three young children
A husband
The son of immigrant pArents
A cop who showed up every day to protect this city
WE STAND WITH SGT. ERIK DURAN
This petition respectfully asks the court to impose a non-incarceration sentence.
Holding officers accountable does not require destroying their lives when there was no intent to harm.
On a warm August day in 2023, Sgt. Erik Duran, a highly decorated veteran of the NYPD, was forced to make a split-second, life-altering decision. It was the kind of decision most people will never be forced to make; Sadly, it is the type of decision that police officers face all too often.
While conducting a narcotics investigation in the Bronx, Sgt. Duran and his team of officers witnessed Eric Duprey sell narcotics to an undercover officer. When the officers attempted to stop Mr. Duprey, he fled on a motorcycle, driving recklessly on a crowded sidewalk at approximately 30 mph. In the blink of an eye, Sgt. Duran was faced with an impossible decision: do something to protect the lives of the people on the sidewalk in the path of Eric Duprey or do nothing and possibly watch a fleeing suspect kill or seriously injure those in his way. Sgt. Duran chose to act. Thankfully, the innocent civilians and police officers that were in jeopardy were saved but tragically, Eric Duprey lost his life when he lost control of the motorbike and careened off the sidewalk.
Sgt. Erik Duran never intended to harm Eric Duprey. His sole intent was to protect innocent lives and had he not acted, we quite possibly could have faced not only the death of Mr. Duprey, but also the death of police officers and parkgoers. This is a tragedy that we all, especially Sgt. Duran, wishes never happened.
On Friday, February 6th, NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter for the death of Eric Duprey. Sgt. Duran is expected to return to court on March 19 for sentencing and faces up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing Erik Duran to any length of jail time would only make this situation more tragic.
Erik Duran is a devoted father of two daughters, 12 and 4 years old, and an 8-year old son. He is the son of Ecuadorean immigrants and a faithful husband of 13 years. For 15 years, Erik risked his life protecting the people of New York City as a dedicated member of the NYPD. Simply stated, he does not deserve to serve jail time for a split-second decision that he was forced to make due to the actions of a fleeing felon and career criminal.
We ask that you join us in signing this petition respectfully asking for no jail time for Erik Duran. Let’s not add tragedy to an already tragic incident.
Join our fight
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
As a law enforcement officer, I am writing you to respectfully request that you sentence NYPD Sergeant Erik Duran to a non-incarceration sentence.
The entire event for which Sergeant Duran stands convicted took place in a matter of seconds. As law enforcement officers, we expect to be second guessed when we make split-second decisions that result in tragedy. We accept that sometimes those decisions have unintended outcomes that may jeopardize our careers.
The job of protecting the public from criminals is inherently dangerous, and carries with it unforeseen risks. As law enforcement officers, we cannot be expected to effectively do our jobs while knowing that a good faith decision made in a rapidly evolving situation might cost us our freedom. That possibility is worsened by the fact that the career criminals we risk our lives and safety to apprehend often never see the inside of a prison.
It is not lost on the thousands of police officers who serve and protect their communities that the decedent in this case, Eric Duprey, had two dozen arrests in an eight-year period, many for intentional violent felonies, and never spent a day in jail.
Sergeant Erik Duran was an excellent and very active law enforcement officer. He is personally responsible for taking over 50 illegal firearms off the streets of New York. As a result of his conviction, he has lost his job and the ability to support his wife and three children. Stripping him of his freedom is cruel and unnecessary.
Most importantly, a sentence of incarceration will send a message to law enforcement officers everywhere: acting decisively to protect lives in a rapidly evolving situation will cost you everything – your job, your reputation, and your freedom.
I urge this Court to impose a no-jail sentence for Sergeant Erik Duran.