A New York City Police Department (NYPD) sergeant has been suspended after he threw a picnic cooler at a motorcyclist, killing the driver on Wednesday.
According to New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Eric Duprey was killed in the Bronx as he fled from an encounter with police officers. While Duprey was driving a motorcycle, Sergeant Erik Duran, who was not in uniform at the time, threw a cooler at Duprey’s head, knocking him to the ground.
Duprey was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death has not yet been determined.
Prior to the altercation, Duprey was attempting to sell drugs to an undercover officer, the Associated Press reported. The outlet claimed Duran was part of a “plainclothes buy-and-bust operation” carried out by the Bronx Narcotics Unit. Police have not said what kind of drugs Duprey was allegedly selling.
On Thursday, the NYPD announced Duran was suspended from duty without pay.
The New York Attorney General’s Office is currently leading an investigation into the incident.
“The NYPD is committed to ensuring that there will be a full, thorough, and transparent investigation of this incident to determine the facts and to take the appropriate steps forward,” the NYPD statement concluded.
NBC New York obtained security camera footage that allegedly depicts Duran throwing the cooler at Duprey. In the grainy video, a person is seen hurling an object into the air, toward an oncoming motorcyclist. Upon being hit, the driver spins out and falls off the vehicle before being surrounded by officers.
The outlet reported Duprey was a father of three children, ages 3, 5 and 9.
A memorial has been started at the location where Duprey was knocked off his motorcycle, reports CBS New York.
Duran, a 13-year veteran of the NYPD, joined the Bronx Narcotics Unit last September. He has been recognized by the department dozens of times for what it deems excellent and meritorious police service, according to a police personnel database.
Duran’s disciplinary record includes a substantiated complaint last year for abusing his authority during a stop, according to the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board.
— With files from the Associated Press