Ex-NYPD cop sentenced to prison after fatally stopping fleeing suspect receives hopeful news from GOP candidate



A New York Police Department drug-bust went sideways in August 2023, leaving a suspect dead and then-Sgt. Erik Duran's life in shambles.

Bruce Blakeman, a Republican gubernatorial candidate hoping to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in the November election, has vowed, however, to liberate Duran and give him a blank slate.

How it started

Undercover narcotics officers conducted a drug bust in the University Heights section of the Bronx after 5 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2023, with the aim of capturing local drug traffickers.

'One of the darkest days in the history of the law-enforcement profession.'

After 30-year-old Eric Duprey allegedly sold cocaine to one of the officers, plainclothes and undercover officers rushed in to make the arrest. Duprey proved, however, too slippery for a quick capture. He jumped onto a motorcycle, which the New York Times reported had been transported within reach by an unidentified individual, then sped off.

Duprey was caught on camera speeding down a sidewalk, then careening toward a group of about 10 people, including Duran, seated around a table.

Duran — an undercover member of the NYPD Narcotics Borough Bronx Tactical Response Unit who was reportedly slapped with a substantiated complaint of abuse of authority the previous year — grabbed a red Igloo cooler from the table and chucked it at the motorcycle.

A witness told the Daily News that Duprey "was on the bike, moving north when the cops started chasing him. ... Then he took a U-turn and was riding on the sidewalk. ... The cop then took my cooler, which was filled with soda cans, water bottles, and hit him."

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The cooler struck Duprey in the head, making him lose control and ultimately go flying. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

Duran was suspended the following day and in January 2024 was charged by the office of radical New York Attorney General Letitia James with manslaughter, assault, and criminally negligent homicide.

"I didn’t have time to think," Duran — who pleaded not guilty — testified during his trial earlier this year. "I thought he was going to kill my guys, he was going so fast."

"He was going to crash right into them," added Duran.

Duran's lawyers argued both that Duprey "wasn't trying to get away" but rather "ambushing" police and that Duprey died because of a "series of bad choices," reported CBS News.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Guy Mitchell — who was originally appointed in 2015 by former Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and previously let off a black teen who beat a homeless man to death with what turned out to be only nine months in prison — refused to accept Duran's justification and convicted him in February of second-degree manslaughter. The criminally negligent homicide charge was waived.

The Times reported that shortly after the verdict was delivered, Duran was fired from the NYPD.

How it's going

Ahead of his sentencing last week, Duran, a father of three, told Mitchell, "Your honor, I am asking for a chance to be there with my kids. I am asking for a chance, just one," reported the New York Post.

Mitchell acknowledged that the ex-cop was remorseful but decided to make an example of him as a "general deterrent" to other officers, sentencing him to three to nine years in state prison.

Vincent Vallelong, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, wrote in an op-ed following Duran's sentencing, "I can say without equivocation that the sentencing of Sgt. Erik Duran will forever be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the law-enforcement profession."

"Moving forward, the SBA will support Sgt. Duran and his heartbroken family throughout his appeal until this miscarriage of justice is rectified," wrote Vallelong. "Sgt. Duran, who served the NYPD with dedication and helped save lives throughout his career, deserves nothing less."

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — a Trump-endorsed GOP candidate running for New York governor — has vowed that if elected in November, he will immediately pardon Duran.

The promised action is "consistent with [Blakeman's] commitment to back law enforcement and make every neighborhood in New York safer," the candidate's campaign told the Post.

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Bronx male allegedly says 'f**k you' to elderly neighbor's gripe about loud music. As tensions rise, elderly man grabs a gun.



Gilbert Smalls, 76, told police he complained about loud music coming from 21-year-old Justin Chatfield's next-door apartment in the River Park Towers in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx on Thursday night, the New York Daily News reported, citing law enforcement sources.

With that, Smalls claimed the much younger Chatfield responded “f**k you” to his complaint; their argument took place through a wall that separates their apartments, the Daily News said.

'Her baby, one of her babies, died in her arms.'

Moments later, Smalls told police he heard seven shots fired outside his window, the paper said, citing sources. Police haven't determined if shots actually were fired, the Daily News added.

Smalls, who lives with his wife and told police he's in poor health, then got his gun — a 9-mm pistol he keeps in a safe, the paper said.

Smalls then stepped into the hallway, the Daily News said, adding that Smalls' doorway and Chatfield's doorway are just inches apart.

Law enforcement sources told the paper that surveillance video obtained by investigators shows Smalls opening fire at Chatfield as soon as Chatfield came to his own apartment doorway.

Walter Fields — an attorney and longtime friend of Chatfield's family — told the Daily News that after Chatfield was shot, he stumbled back into his apartment and tried to get help from his mother.

“Her baby, one of her babies, died in her arms,” Fields told the paper last week.

The Daily News said Chatfield was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital but couldn't be saved.

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Sources told the paper that police soon knocked on Smalls' door with the intention of asking to look at his Ring doorbell video — but Smalls confessed instead.

“I’m the one who shot him,” one source quoted Smalls saying, the Daily News reported.

More from the paper:

Smalls then led police into his apartment and gave officers the key to the safe containing his gun, sources said.

The suspect suggested he shot his neighbor thinking he may have been armed, sources said.

He complained of health issues, telling cops he doesn’t expect to “make it,” presumably while behind bars, sources said.

Smalls was arraigned Saturday on murder and gun possession charges in Bronx Criminal Court and ordered held without bail, the Daily News said, adding that Smalls' lawyer declined comment Monday.

Sources told the paper there had been previous tensions between Smalls and Chatfield, but it doesn't appear police had ever been called to their apartments.

Chatfield had multiple arrests on his record, most recently for robbery in January 2025, police told the Daily News.

A large makeshift memorial was set up outside the apartment building for Chatfield, the paper said.

Chatfield also was expecting a child with his longtime girlfriend, the Daily News said. The couple were high school sweethearts, Fields added to the paper.

“He was very close to having a baby — I mean, within months," Fields also told the Daily News. "He should be a new father. He was looking for work, going to trade schools. He was really trying to become a productive member. Support his family, support his child.”

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Mugger slashes teen in face, steals his phone — but victim grabs knife from mugger and fights back in brutal fashion: Report



A mugger reportedly slashed a male teenager in the face and stole his cell phone aboard a New York City subway train Thursday evening — but the victim grabbed the knife from the mugger and fought back in a brutal way.

The 18-year-old victim and his friend were on the Bronx No. 2 train as it approached the Pelham Parkway station near White Plains Road in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx around 7 p.m. when the suspect and seven others walked through the train car, stopped the victim, and asked to see his cell phone, the New York Daily News reported.

'Case of beer for that young person!'

The victim pulled out his phone, and the mugger grabbed the phone and started to walk off with it, which sparked a brawl, police told the Daily News.

Amid the dustup, a knife fell upon the subway car’s floor, police told the paper.

The mugger grabbed the knife and slashed his victim in the face, which left a deep gash on the teen's face, the Daily News said.

But as the fight continued, the victim grabbed the knife from the mugger and stabbed him five times, police told the paper.

Emergency medical services arrived and rushed the mugger to Jacobi Hospital, where he was expected to survive, the Daily News said, adding that he remained in the hospital Friday and was awaiting charges related to the incident.

The teen was taken to Montefiore Medical Center, where his slash wound was treated, the paper said, adding that the victim's friend was punched in the face during the brawl.

A police source with knowledge of the case told the Daily News that detectives said the mugger's pals — who ran off — are responsible for several similar robberies in the Bronx and on borough subway trains.

Charges against the mugger and his victim were not immediately filed, the paper said.

As you might expect, observers commenting under the Daily News' Facebook post about the incident gave many kudos to the teen who fought back:

  • "Case of beer for that young person!" one commenter wrote.
  • "He took care of bizness!" another user exclaimed.
  • "Great job from the victim," another commenter noted.
  • "That's how it's supposed to be," another user declared.
  • "Given it's NYC, has the teen been charged yet?" another commenter quipped.
  • "People need to fight back, glad this happened!" another user said.

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'We was bored!' Hundreds of teens rampage Bronx mall, tangle with cops in planned Presidents' Day 'takeover.'



Hundreds of teens rampaged a Bronx shopping mall and tangled with police Monday on their day off from school — Presidents' Day.

News 12 reported that the planned "takeover" at the Mall at Bay Plaza commenced around 2 p.m.

'This is embarrassing. Bored? Read a book, invent something.'

Officers responded to reports of up to 200 teenagers being disorderly, WABC-TV reported.

"This is insane. I mean, I haven't seen it this bad ever," one neighbor, Keshana, told News 12.

The takeover spread throughout several businesses, including a McDonald's just outside the mall, News 12 said, adding that a window at the fast-food restaurant was shattered.

"A bunch of kids just came in here they were breaking everything," employee William Norman told News 12. "I was scared for my life, man. I got kids at home."

WABC reported that the teens appeared to challenge officers; the New York Post said some of them were "appearing to resist and fight the cops."

RELATED: Massive mall brawl: 300 teens descend upon shopping mall, run amok, fight — even with cops. TikTok influencer set 'meetup.'

Indeed, one clip posted to X shows officers trying to bring a fleeing male under control, but he escapes after his comrades appear to join his tangle with police. One officer appears to take a swing at one of the mob members.

A News 12 reporter asked a group of teens on camera for the reason behind their behavior, and several replied with laughter, "We was bored!"

RELATED: 73 arrests, 3 stabbings, brawls, and a boardwalk shutdown in a Jersey Shore town over Memorial Day weekend: 'It wasn't great'

Authorities told News 12 that officers issued multiple warnings and ordered the large, disorderly group to disperse.

News 12 added that the takeover plan was shared on social media and that it was supposed to end after the teens were "kicked out."

A mall spokesperson told News 12 that the mall didn't close despite the chaotic event, which was "resolved quickly."

Eighteen were taken into custody, News 12 said. WABC reported that the exact charges are pending.

Commenters responding to News 12's video report didn't take kindly to the teens' actions — particularly their stated reason:

  • "They were bored???" one commenter reacted. "God forbid they stay home and pick up a book to read or maybe study or do some chores."
  • "This is embarrassing. Bored? Read a book, invent something," another commenter suggested.
  • Bored? They have free wifi all over the place where you can be online for hours and yet still bored," another commenter argued.
  • "They're not bored, they're bums because their parents are bums too," another commenter declared.
  • "Bored? If they are bored, do something positive like [clean] up the neighborhood," another commenter offered.

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Mamdani: The Real Victim Of 9/11 Was My Muslim Aunt

Ugandan-born socialist candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani suggested Friday that the real victim of the September 11, 2001 Islamic terrorist attacks was his Muslim aunt. Speaking to voters outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx, Mamdani said “The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated as any other New […]

Vigilantes reportedly beat up male accused of trying to rape elderly woman; cops told they could find suspect in hospital



Vigilantes beat up a male accused of trying to rape an elderly woman in the Bronx last week — and an anonymous caller helped out police, telling them they could find the suspect in the hospital, WNBC-TV reported.

The NYPD released video of the man in question, who's seen wearing no pants just after he allegedly attempted to rape a 70-year-old woman near Creston Avenue and 184th Street around 12 p.m. Friday, the station said.

'Yeah, we beat him up. ... And if he comes back, I’m going to rock him again.'

Police told WNBC that the vigilantes found the suspect less than 24 hours later, as word of the attack against the woman quickly through the New York City borough.

Law enforcement sources also told the station that an anonymous caller told police that residents detained the suspect and delivered a vigilante beatdown against him near Tiebout Avenue and 187th Street. The caller concluded by saying that detectives could find the suspect in the hospital, WNBC reported.

The New York Post, citing police and residents, identified the suspect as 50-year-old Oswaldo Ramos — a "career criminal with 19 previous arrests."

The NYPD said Ramos, who lives near the crime scene, was arrested Sunday and charged with attempted rape and burglary, the Post reported, adding that he hadn't been arraigned as of Tuesday afternoon. Law-enforcement sources said he was still in St. Barnabas Hospital, and the details about his injuries were unclear.

The paper added that an unnamed vigilante resident said Tuesday that he'd repeat the beatdown: “Yeah, we beat him up. ... You don’t do that. That’s something you don’t do. ... And if he comes back, I’m going to rock him again.”

A 59-year-old man who also didn't want to be identified confirmed the thumping of the suspect to the Post: “We don’t tolerate that kind of stuff around here. You won’t see any video on it. No cameras.”

"He deserved what he got," Stenller Contreras told WNBC, adding that the catch-and-release system is wearing thin on the neighborhood.

“I would have done the same thing because that could have been my grandmother. It could have been anybody," Contreras also told the station. "I would have done the same thing."

Police sources added to WNBC that the suspect has not been cooperative in telling detectives the identities of the men who beat him up.

More from the Post:

Ramos was last arrested Oct. 6, 2018, for allegedly robbing a Bronx deli while claiming that he’d just shot a cop, police said.

He allegedly barged into the shop on East 178th Street near Mapes Avenue, flashed the butt of a black handgun, and sneered, “Give me the money. I just shot a cop. I’ll be back tomorrow for more money.”

He had not shot a cop, police sources said.

The disposition of that case was not immediately known.

Most of Ramos’ prior arrests have been for robberies and burglaries, according to authorities.

You can view a video report here about the attempted rape and the fallout from it.

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Harris Puts Up Worst NYC Performance By A Democrat In Three Decades

The worst performance by a Democrat in the Big Apple since 1992

Mutilated body found burning in shopping cart leads to gruesome discovery in Bronx kitchen, police say



Human remains that were set on fire and — according to sources close to the investigation — at least partially dismembered were found in a shopping cart Monday morning in Yonkers, New York.

That led investigators to a gruesome scene at a kitchen in the Bronx, according to officials.

'We want to make sure we're doing everything right.'

Yonkers Police said officers were called about a fire underneath the Oak Street Bridge over the Bronx River Parkway just before 2 a.m. When firefighters with the Mount Vernon Fire Department responded, they put out the fire and then discovered the human remains in a shopping cart.

Yonkers police determined the body “had been placed in a shopping cart and apparently set on fire at that location," News12 Westchester reported.

Sources close to the investigation told WABC-TV the body was at least partially dismembered, but the station added that a Yonkers Police spokesperson refused to confirm that information.

Police told News12 Westchester that media reports regarding the body having been dismembered were premature and that information couldn’t be determined because of the fire.

Officials also said the condition of the remains makes it extremely difficult to determine the cause of death. They also said it was unclear whether the person had been killed at the scene or killed somewhere else and brought to the scene.

Investigators said Tuesday that they found human remains in a kitchen of a residence on Rogers Place in the Bronx and indicated they believe those remains are related to those found burning in Yonkers. The two locations are about eight miles apart. Authorities also reported finding drug paraphernalia and a gun in the bedroom of the Bronx residence.

WNBC reported that a high-ranking NYPD source said investigators obtained video of a man pushing a shopping cart onto a Metro-North train in the Bronx that appeared to match the shopping cart later found burning in Yonkers.

That same official told WNBC that the body found burning had its teeth knocked out and its hands missing, implying that someone was trying to prevent identification of the victim.

Police said they had not yet ascertained the victim's identity, gender, or age. The Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the victim's cause of death.

"This is at the border of a couple of jurisdictions here, so we want to make sure we're doing everything right, collecting all the evidence possible," said Detective Sergeant Frank Didomizio.

Police said their investigation was ongoing and no one had yet been arrested. They were seeking witnesses and reviewing security video from the area.

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‘We Need Trump To Fix This’: New Yorkers Slam Bidenflation, Border Crisis, And Lawfare At Bronx Rally

'Things are tight ... the price of gas, food, and just not making ends meet anymore,' one attendee said. 'I was making ends meet under Trump.'

NY Gov. Hochul belittles citizens who came out to hear Trump in the Bronx, calling them 'clowns'



Thousands of Americans turned out in the South Bronx Thursday night to support former President Donald Trump and hear how he plans to reverse the perilous trends that have begun or worsened under the Biden administration.

Despite leading with the headline, "Trump bombs the Bronx," Axios acknowledged that the "sight of Trump speaking to several thousand people in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in deep blue New York is a sign of the realignment happening between the two parties."

"Trump's GOP is becoming more working class and a little more multiracial," the publication noted. "Democrats are gaining with more well-educated voters in the suburbs."

Just weeks after suggesting black children in the Bronx "don't even know what the word 'computer' is," and calling a New York Supreme Court justice an "extremist" for following the law, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul concluded on CNN's "The Lead" Thursday that the constituents of this diverse crowd of working-class Americans were "clowns."

Host Jake Tapper led into Hochul's seeming "basket of deplorables" moment by noting, "Donald Trump, former President Trump, he's holding an event shortly in the Bronx in an effort to attract voters of color, Latinos and African Americans — historically a loyal voting block for Democrats, especially African Americans."

"The truth is this is, this is a sport, this is politics of margins. What more do Democrats need to do to solidify and mobilize their base?" asked Tapper.

"Well, I'll tell you what won't make a difference at all Jake and that is for Donald Trump to be the ringleader and invite all his clowns to a place like the Bronx," said Hochul. "New York will never, ever support Donald Trump for president. We know him better than anyone and that means we understand what he's all about is just for himself. So this state will go solidly behind Joe Biden for president as it has in the past."

'Biden only leads Trump — whose negative favorability rating is not much worse than Biden's — by a 'narrow' nine points.'

Trump only nabbed 16% of the vote in the borough and 37.8% of the vote in the state in 2020 — a state that has not thrown its support behind a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan — yet he assured the enthusiastic crowd, "We're going to win New York," and implored them to vote in numbers "too big to rig."

A Wednesday Siena Poll indicated that the delta is no longer insurmountable: Biden only leads Trump in New York 47-38%.

“In a state that hasn't voted for the GOP candidate for president since Ronald Reagan 40 years ago, and where Democrats hold a 26-point enrollment advantage over Republicans, Biden only leads Trump — whose negative favorability rating is not much worse than Biden's — by a 'narrow' nine points," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.

"While 18% of Democrats support Trump, only 9% of Republicans support Biden, and independents are evenly divided, 37-37%," continued Greenberg. "There is only a small gender gap as Biden leads with men by five points and with women by 12 points."

In other words, the so-called ringleader's tent is more populous than Hochul may like to think.

Hochul told Tapper, "So, if he wants to spend his time doing these made-up fake rallies and pretending there is support here, be my guest because while you're doing that, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's out there on the other side, making sure he is delivering for Americans. And so go ahead, spend all the time you want in New York because we'll be with Joe Biden, and Joe Biden is out there winning over the rest of the battleground states."

Biden is currently failing to win over the rest of the battleground states.

'Right now, this election is about President Biden's economic record and America's economic future.'

A Cook Political Report survey released Thursday indicated that in a horse race including third-party candidates, Trump is leading Biden in Arizona by 4 points, in Georgia by 4 points, in Michigan by 3 points, in Nevada by 8 points, in North Carolina by 8 points, and in Biden's home state of Pennsylvania by 3 points. The two are presently tied in Wisconsin.

In terms of a head-to-head, Trump is leading Biden by 1 point in Arizona, 3 points in Georgia, 2 points in Michigan, 9 points in Nevada, 7 points in North Carolina, and 3 points in Pennsylvania. Again, in a head-to-head they are dead even in Wisconsin.

"Right now, this election is about President Biden's economic record and America's economic future," said GS Strategy Group president Greg Strimple. "When it comes to who voters trust to move the economy forward, Trump is in the driver's seat."

While abortion remains an animating issue for Democrats, the pollsters indicated Biden's advantage on the issue isn't enough to "offset Trump's overall strength on bringing down the cost of living."

Watch the full rally here:

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