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    Intensity, arrest at hearing for NYPD cop accused of using cooler to kill man

    By James Ford,

    14 days ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=18KsEx_0t2MZEwc00

    CONCOURSE, The Bronx (PIX11) — An NYPD sergeant accused of killing a man by throwing a cooler at him as he rode past on a motor scooter did not get the charges against him dismissed, as he’d hoped would happen at court on Tuesday.

    Instead, one of the people who showed up at the courthouse to protest against the cop ended up with charges against him after a confrontation outside of the courtroom. Also, a family member of the deceased man ended up fainting right after the hearing. They’re all developments in a very eventful day related to a court session that had been expected to be fairly routine.

    In front of the Bronx Hall of Justice on Tuesday, just after 10 a.m., there were about 40 officers. They were responding to an encounter that had happened minutes before in relation to the case of NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran .

    The officers were from the court system and had to call in NYPD reinforcements after a situation developed inside the courthouse. It involved a supporter of Eric Duprey , the 30-year-old man that Sgt. Duran is accused of killing.

    Video: Masked passenger shoots at moving livery cab in the Bronx

    The organization Black Lives Matter of Greater New York led a group of supporters of Duprey at the court hearing. Minutes after it ended, there was an encounter between the BLM group’s founder, Hawk Newsome, and court officers. Newsome’s sister, Chivona, described what happened to her brother, from her perspective.

    “He was attacked and jumped by at least ten officers,” she said. “I was as well. I was punched in the face, trying to make sure he was OK. And then, I was forcibly dragged out of the building.”

    Court officials told PIX11 News that officers worked to de-escalate the situation, and had to call in the NYPD as backup to ensure the situation didn’t become more intense. They said that nobody was hit in the face or anywhere.

    Newsome and the dozen or so other supporters had been at court to support the family of Duprey. He’d died last August after Sgt. Duran threw a cooler at Duprey while Duprey was riding his motor scooter, allegedly fleeing a possible drug arrest.

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    Duran’s hearing was to request that a judge to dismiss the case. That didn’t happen.

    The judge did drop the lowest charge that Duran faced — assault in the second degree.

    However, all of the other charges that New York State Attorney General Letitia James had filed against Duran remain: manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and assault in the first degree.

    Duran has also been suspended without pay since the fatal incident last August.

    Right after the hearing, the sister of Duprey, the man who was killed, fainted just outside of the fifth-floor courtroom, according to witnesses. Duprey’s supporters said that they revived the sister, and walked with her to the courthouse lobby on the first floor. That’s where the encounter happened between supporters and court officers. A spokesperson for the courts said that their officers always act in a professional manner and that the encounter on Tuesday morning was no exception.

    Duprey’s supporters disagree.

    “I can be punched in the face again, my brother can get arrested,” said Chivona Newsome, “You know what? Until [Duran is] found guilty of the crimes he has committed, we will not rest.”

    Hawk Newsome was given a disorderly conduct summons, according to court officials. Duran’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 30.

    Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

    For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.

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