Bruce Blakeman, a Republican candidate for governor, has pledged to pardon NYPD officer Erik Duran if elected this November. Duran, known as the “cooler cop,” was recently sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison after an incident in which he threw a cooler that resulted in the death of a drug suspect in 2023.
Blakeman, who currently serves as the Nassau County Executive, argues that Duran’s imprisonment is unjust. “County Executive Blakeman intends to make a decisive statement supporting Sgt. Duran,” his campaign declared in a statement to The Post. They emphasized Blakeman’s commitment to backing law enforcement and enhancing safety across New York neighborhoods.
The 70-year-old conservative, aligned with President Trump’s policies, was endorsed by the White House last year in his bid to challenge Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.
Duran’s conviction for second-degree manslaughter came after a non-jury trial presided over by Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell. The case involved the death of 30-year-old Eric Duprey during an undercover operation known as “buy and bust.”
Authorities reported that on August 23, 2023, Duprey attempted to escape the scene in Kingsbridge by riding off on a scooter. In response, Duran threw a cooler at him, leading to the tragic outcome.
According to police, Duprey tried to flee the scene in Kingsbridge on Aug. 23, 2023, by hopping on a scooter to get away — when Duran picked up a cooler and hurled it.
The cooler struck Duprey in the head, causing a fatal wreck.
Duran, a 38-year-old married dad of three, was a 13-year veteran with a distinguished career record before the freak mishap that ended up with the sentence of three to nine years in prison.
NYPD rank-and-file cops and his union rep rallied behind Duran — to no avail.
Even a petition signed by more than 11,000 cops throughout the US asking that Duran receive probation instead of prison time did not sway the judge at sentencing.
“It wasn’t only Sgt. Duran, a great cop, who was on trial,” NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association president Vincent Vallelong said in a statement last week. “Every law enforcement officer who makes a split-second decision in the performance of their duties to protect the public was also on that trial.”
He called the judge’s sentence “the darkest day in the history of our profession.”
