A former NYPD sergeant was hauled away in handcuffs Thursday after a Bronx judge slapped him with up to nine years behind bars for killing a fleeing drug suspect by throwing a cooler at him — with cops calling the sentence one of the “darkest days in the history of our profession.”

Erik Duran, 38, learned his fate after being found guilty of manslaughter in February for causing the Aug. 23, 2023, death of Eric Duprey — becoming the first NYPD officer convicted of killing someone while on duty in a decade.

Judge Guy Mitchell sentenced Duprey to at least three years in state prison, and up to nine, inside a packed Bronx courtroom filled with police officers on one side of the gallery and a mix of Duprey’s relatives and activists on the other side.

Former NYPD sergeant Erik Duran in court for his sentencing at the Bronx County Hall of Justice on April 9, 2026. Matthew McDermott for NY Post

“Today will be forever remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of our profession,” Sergeants Benevolent Association president Vincent Vallelong said in a statement.

“It wasn’t only Sgt. Duran, a great cop, who was on trial. Every law enforcement officer who makes a split-second decision in the performance of their duties to protect the public, was also on trial. And this sentencing, which has now sent a very chilling message to every cop in the nation — that the system that we have sworn to uphold can single-handedly destroy your career and your life for doing exactly what you are trained to do,” he said.

“Moving forward, the SBA will do all that we can to support Sgt. Duran and his family throughout his appeal and we will not stop until justice is served,” Vallelong added about the married dad of two daughters.

The rare guilty verdict for an on-duty cop came after evidence revealed Duran chucking the full Igloo cooler at Duprey, who was riding his motorbike on a Kingsbridge Heights sidewalk after selling $20 worth of cocaine to an undercover officer.

Duran took the stand in his own defense during the three-week Bronx Supreme Court trial and claimed he threw the cooler to protect his fellow officers, toward whom he said Duprey was zooming on his scooter.

Duran was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for the death of Eric Duprey in 2023. Matthew McDermott for NY Post

“I thought he was going to kill my guys,” Duran testified.

But prosecutors argued that Duran chose to throw the cooler at Duprey to stop him from fleeing and avoiding arrest.

After being struck in the arm by the cooler, Duprey crashed into a tree and was flung from the bike, cracking his head on the pavement. He died almost immediately on impact.

Duprey fell from the scooter after being hit by the cooler, and died shortly after being flung into the pavement. Tomas E. Gaston for NY Post

Surveillance cameras showed Duran hurling a full Igloo cooler at the drug suspect at the scene. Tomas E. Gaston for NY Post

Duran opted for a bench trial, decided by a judge rather than a Bronx jury.

Mitchell ultimately found him guilty of second-degree manslaughter, ruling that Duran’s use of “deadly force” was not justified.

The judge had a wide range of sentencing options, from sending Duran to prison for up to 15 years to giving him a no-jail sentence.

Eric Duprey had sold an undercover officer $20 worth of cocaine before Duran hurled the cooler at him. Matthew McDermott

Gretchen Soto, Duprey’s mother, and Black Lives Matter activist Hawk Newsome outside court after Duran’s sentencing on April 9, 2026. AP

More than 11,000 cops across the US had signed a petition, organized by the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association, urging the judge to keep Duran out of prison.

Duran was fired from the NYPD as a result of the guilty verdict.

He was the first NYPD officer to go on trial for killing someone on duty since a 2015 law went on the books requiring the state Attorney General’s Office to probe deaths at the hands of police.

Demonstrators calling for Duran to receive prison time outside of the Bronx County Hall of Justice ahead of his sentencing. AP

The last officer convicted for an on-duty killing before him was Peter Liang, who in 2016 was found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting unarmed Akai Gurley in a darkened public housing stairwell.

Liang was sentenced to five years of probation and 800 hours of community service.