Mother of Incarcerated Former NYPD Sergeant Calls Conviction a Nightmare

The mother of Eric Duran, a former NYPD sergeant who is currently incarcerated, expressed her heartache on Tuesday over his manslaughter conviction and contentious prison sentence, which she views as the demise of their family’s American dream.

This 63-year-old immigrant described her family’s situation as a “terrible nightmare” as Duran, a father of three, remains behind bars while he seeks to appeal the Bronx judge’s verdict.

“We came here to raise a family and achieve the American dream, and that dream shattered the moment my son was wrongfully convicted,” she stated. “What should have been a proud moment for us has morphed into this frightening ordeal we face daily.”

Duran, 38, has been incarcerated since a Bronx College judge sentenced him last Thursday to three to nine years for the fatal injury of a drug suspect during a 2023 sting operation. The suspect had tried to flee by throwing a picnic cooler at him.

The mother, who prefers to remain anonymous, immigrated from Ecuador in 1981, while her father, a former police officer, had come to New York several years earlier.

Eric Duran had served in law enforcement for 13 years. He was inspired to join the NYPD after witnessing officers bravely facing danger during the September 11 attacks. He had settled down with his high school sweetheart in the Bronx, where they married close to where he was sentenced.

“His children have lost their father, his wife is without her husband, and I’ve lost my son,” she expressed through Duran’s legal team. “Where is the justice in this? We hope and pray daily that his lawyer will succeed in his appeal and bring my son back.”

Duran argued during his trial that he threw the cooler at 30-year-old Eric Dupree to safeguard the lives of fellow officers in the path of the suspect’s electric scooter. However, the judge ruled that Duran’s use of deadly force was not justified; at the moment Dupree removed the cooler, he was being arrested, not saving his life.

During the sentencing, the judge remarked that the punishment was intended to act as a “general deterrent” to other officers.

Now, Duran’s lawyers are fighting the second-degree manslaughter conviction while trying to secure his release on bail pending appeal.

His uncle, Luis Torres, shared, “We’re praying every day that this appeal bears fruit. We want him home soon… and we are hopeful.” He emphasized that Duran is a good person and deserves to return to his family, who desperately need him.

Torres described Eric Duran as a dedicated father and an exemplary officer, adding that his family feels crushed by what they see as an “injustice.” He noted, “He was simply trying to protect everyone in the Bronx, all the families around, all the children.”

Duran was convicted in February and dismissed from the NYPD. His former union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, has started a fundraising initiative with the National Police Defense Foundation to support his case.