A Trump-endorsed Republican running for New York governor is making a bold promise: he\u2019ll pardon an NYPD sergeant sent to prison over a split-second decision that turned deadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bruce Blakeman made the pledge<\/a> outside City Hall, throwing his support behind former Sgt. Erik Duran\u2014now facing three to nine years behind bars for the 2023 death of a fleeing suspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI took this job to save lives,\u201d Duran told a judge at sentencing. \u201cI felt terrible once I saw Eric Duprey crash.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Duprey, 30, had just sold drugs to an undercover officer and sped off on a motorized scooter when Duran\u2014working in plainclothes\u2014grabbed a nearby cooler and hurled it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cooler struck Duprey. He lost control. Moments later, he was dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prosecutors wanted even more time\u2014pushing for a five- to 15-year sentence\u2014but Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell said the case should send a message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey had enough to investigate and catch him on a different day,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cThe distinction is that the deceased will no longer be seen again by his family.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The ruling stunned police advocates, who say the conviction punishes a cop for making a high-pressure call in the line of duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t only Sgt. Duran\u2026 Every law enforcement officer who makes a split-second decision\u2026 was also on trial,\u201d said Vincent Vallelong, head of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, calling it \u201cone of the darkest days\u201d for the force.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Duran\u2014believed to be the first NYPD officer in decades imprisoned over a duty-related death\u2014has already been fired and is expected to appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blakeman, currently Nassau County executive and a former Port Authority official during 9\/11, is now turning the case into a campaign flashpoint as he takes on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Trump\u2019s backing and a law-and-order message, the race is quickly becoming a referendum on policing, prosecution\u2014and where New York draws the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ NEXT: Congressman\u2019s Sudden Death Upends Key Race<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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