CARMEL- A New York City Police sergeant from Mahopac has been found guilty of manslaughter for killing a man with a cooler. 

Sgt. Erik Duran, 38, faced manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in the death of Eric Duprey, 30, during the August 2023 incident.

Duran had pleaded not guilty in the bench trial, meaning there was no jury with a judge hearing arguments and rendering a verdict. 

On Friday afternoon Judge Guy Mitchell rendered his verdict.

The incident occurred when police were trying to arrest Duprey for a drug deal in the Bronx when he jumped on a motorized scooter and tried to escape down the sidewalk. Duran hurled a picnic cooler at Duprey’s head, trying to get him to stop. The suspect swerved, hit a tree and slid under a vehicle before passing away from blunt force trauma to the head.

Prosecutors say Duran’s actions were criminal describing them as “reckless, unreasonable and unnecessary.”

Duran, who took the stand in his own defense, told the judge that Duprey was going to crash into the officers at the scene. 

His attorneys said other people would’ve been killed because of Duprey’s reckless driving.

Duran was the first NYPD officer to go on trial for killing someone on duty since a 2021 law came on the books requiring the State Attorney General’s Office to probe deaths at the hands of police.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Mitchell will impose sentence on March 19.

Duran had faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top charge of criminally negligent homicide. The lesser rap of manslaughter carries a maximum of 15 years behind bars.