During Tuesday night’s game between the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes on Long Island, hockey fans rallied to help jailed ex-NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran, during a fundraising push to help him in his fight to overturn the controversial sentence handed down by a far-left judge.
In August 2023, fleeing drug suspect Eric Duprey died after a Duran tossed a cooler he grabbed from a local family’s sidewalk table at him. Duprey, who was fleeing a Bronx buy-and-bust drug sting at the time, was knocked off his bike. Duprey died from injuries following the incident.
Duran was charged with second-degree manslaughter in January 2024.
Last week, The New York Post reported that radical Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell handed Duran a sentence of 3 to 9 years in prison despite pleas from the father of three to show mercy.
“Your honor, I am asking for a chance to be there with my kids. I am asking for a chance, just one,” Duran said.
During the Islanders game, the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association shared a fundraiser for Duran on the Jumbotron to help him raise funds to overturn the harsh sentence.
“This is all about Erik’s family,” said union head Vincent Vallelong, who was joined at the game by Post executive Patrick Judge, Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky and other SBA members.
“Whatever it takes to get him out, is exactly what it is everyone on this board believes and everybody in law enforcement is going to do at this point. The message is that basically, this is going to affect law enforcement across the nation. They all feel that this can happen in their cities.”
Islanders fans were given the option to donate directly to the fund, which had already raised $40,000 as of Tuesday morning, via a QR code displayed on the jumbotron.
A portion of Tuesday night’s 50/50 raffle that took in nearly $45,000 will also go toward the legal fund launched Monday by the SBA to help Duran appeal his conviction.
The fundraiser, spearheaded by The National Police Defense Foundation (NPDF) notes, “In August 2023, Sgt. Erik Duran, a highly decorated member of the NYPD, was supervising a “buy and bust” operation in the Bronx. One of the suspects attempted to evade capture by mounting a nearby motorcycle and driving it on the sidewalk, directly at responding officers. Fearing that his officers would be seriously injured or killed by fleeing felon Eric Duprey, Sgt. Duran grabbed an Igloo cooler and hurled it at Duprey to divert him from crashing into his officers, their prisoner, or bystanders.”
“Sgt. Duran’s actions saved the lives of innocent civilians nearby, his officers and their prisoner. Unfortunately, suspect Duprey, a known member of the Trinitarios street gang who was not wearing a helmet, was killed. Attorney General Leticia James chose to prosecute the Sergeant for Manslaughter, and after a bench trial in February 2026, Sgt. Duran was found guilty of Second-degree Manslaughter.”
“On April 9th, 2026, Judge Guy Mitchell sentenced the former Sergeant to three to nine years in prison, and he was immediately taken into custody after sentencing in what the National Police Defense Foundation believes is a blatant miscarriage of justice. We believe that Sgt. Duran never intended for the suspect to be injured or killed. The sole predicate for his actions that day was to protect his officers, other suspects and bystanders from Duprey, who recklessly fled at a high rate of speed along a pedestrian walkway created a clear and present danger of death or serious bodily injuries to others, thereby justifying the Sergeant’s actions.”
“At the direction of Executive Director Joseph Occhipinti and the Executive Board, the National Police Defense Foundation has created the Sgt. Erik Duran Legal Defense Fund. We encourage all our members to donate whatever they can so that bail can be arranged for the former Sergeant pending appeal.”
You can support Sgt. Duran here.
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