Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman described a NYPD sergeant’s fatal decision to throw a cooler in the path of a man fleeing a drug bust on a motorized scooter as “thinking out of the box” and “intuitive policing.”
The former sergeant, Erik Duran, was sentenced to three to nine years last week for the second-degree manslaughter of Eric Duprey.
Speaking on the steps of City Hall Monday morning, Blakeman vowed to pardon Duran on his first day in office should he defeat Gov. Kathy Hochul, and called Duran’s conviction an “injustice.”
“Sgt. Duran, thinking out of the box, threw a cooler in his way so he would not harm fellow police officers or the general public. That’s what we call intuitive policing,” Blakeman said.
Blakeman, who currently serves as the Nassau County executive, called Duprey’s death “unfortunate” and emphasized that Duran did not intend to kill him.
But he cast Duran’s conviction as evidence that law enforcement is not receiving sufficient support from New York elected officials.
Eric Duprey was killed during a police chase in 2023.
Blakeman has pledged to fight the “lunatic left” and is campaigning as a friend of law enforcement.
He’s touted his record as the top local official representing Nassau County, where many current and former police officers live. He’s focused on immigration and public safety, making local law enforcement collaborate with federal immigration officials.
Addison Dick, spokesperson for the New York State Democratic Party, said in a statement that Blakeman’s policies on working with President Donald Trump’s administration, particularly immigration agents, puts New Yorkers at risk.
“There’s a reason violent crime hit ten-year highs on Long Island on Blakeman’s watch: He only cares about protecting Trump, not New Yorkers and their families.” Dick said in a statement.
Data from the state shows there were nearly 2,300 violent crimes committed in Nassau County in 2024, the most recent data available. It is a 10-year high.
Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, said the Republican candidate’s statement is a “piss poor attempt to pander to cop-loving conservatives who do not care about justice.”
Newsome questioned whether Blakeman had visited the scene of the crime, spoken to witnesses or reviewed the testimony of the officers who took the stand at Duran’s trial.
“The prosecution met their burden of proof,” he said. “So, basically, what this man is saying is, he’s in favor of law and order, except when it comes to police.”
Duran is the first NYPD officer convicted of killing a civilian while on duty in a decade. Police said they saw Duprey hand an officer $20 worth of cocaine on Aqueduct Avenue in the Bronx when they moved in to make an arrest.
But they accidentally tried to arrest someone else at first, and Duprey hopped on the scooter and fled on a sidewalk, prosecutors from the New York attorney general’s office said at trial.
Duran, who was leading an undercover operation, grabbed a cooler filled with ice and drinks and hurled it at Duprey. Duprey lost control of his scooter, crashed and split his head open, dying almost immediately.
Duran was found guilty after a bench trial and was dismissed from the NYPD. He is appealing his conviction.
This story has been updated with additional information.
