Retired NYPD detective Victor Romero held on $1 million bail in fatal George Washington Bridge shooting

A retired New York City police detective accused of fatally shooting a driver on the George Washington Bridge pleaded not guilty Thursday, Oct. 22, and was ordered held on $1 million bail. Victor Romero, 62, was initially arrested on a murder charge but was arraigned in Manhattan on a lesser count of felony manslaughter, ABC News reported.

Police say the Tuesday night shooting followed a near-collision on the approach to the bridge. It killed Koran Irvine, 46, an off-duty Con Edison worker and father of two from Valley Cottage, New York, and shut down the bridge’s upper level for hours during the evening rush. Romero is presumed innocent, and the case is at an early stage.

What happened in the George Washington Bridge shooting?

Officers found Irvine shot in the driver’s seat of his car just after 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the New Jersey-bound upper level of the bridge, FOX 5 New York reported. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

At Thursday’s arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Matt Sears said surveillance video showed Romero’s car aggressively following Irvine’s vehicle after a near-crash as both approached the bridge from 179th Street around 7 p.m., Gothamist reported. A few minutes later, Sears said, Romero fired his gun from the driver’s seat, striking Irvine behind his right shoulder, then drove on into New Jersey without stopping. He called it a “particularly senseless killing.”

NBC New York, citing law enforcement sources, reported that a single shot went through the back passenger window of Irvine’s blue Volkswagen Golf and that the car then hit a median. All lanes of the bridge reopened around 1 a.m.

Who is Victor Romero?

The NYPD identified Romero as the suspect on Wednesday. According to FOX 5 New York’s law enforcement sources, he was a narcotics detective in Brooklyn who retired in 2001. The station noted that in June 2000, while off duty, he was wounded in a shootout during an attempted robbery at his family’s laundromat in Brooklyn, a case covered at the time by The Associated Press.

Reports differ on where he was taken into custody. FOX 5 said he was arrested at his home in Haverstraw, New York, while prosecutors said in court that he was arrested at work in Manhattan on Wednesday, according to Gothamist. Prosecutors said detectives recovered a revolver from him, which he admitted carrying daily, and two more handguns from his home. All three were still being processed for forensic evidence.

Romero stayed silent during the hearing. His attorney, Alan Abramson, asked for lower bail, calling him a “hero police officer” with a “sterling record,” and said Romero has a wife and four children and had recently worked as a security director. Judge Kevin McGrath sided with prosecutors on the $1 million bail.

Who was Koran Irvine?

Irvine worked for Con Edison for more than 20 years, FOX 5 reported, and lived in Valley Cottage with his wife and two children. A neighbor told NBC New York he was “a very nice man” who welcomed new arrivals with eggs from the family’s chickens.

Con Edison said employees were “heartbroken” and called the shooting a “senseless act of violence.” Gothamist reported that a GoFundMe for the family had raised more than $175,000 by Thursday afternoon.

What did Irvine’s family say?

Relatives attended the arraignment. “My brother is a hero, and he’s my hero,” his sister Zeria Irvine said outside court, according to Gothamist. Keith White, an attorney for the family, criticized the bail decision as “a travesty, a miscarriage of justice,” arguing Romero posed a danger and a flight risk. The family is looking into a lawsuit against Romero and the security company they believe he worked for.

What happens next?

Romero remains charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors have not said publicly whether they will seek a murder indictment, and the forensic testing of the guns had not been completed as of Thursday. The case is being handled in Manhattan.

FAQ

What is Victor Romero charged with? Manslaughter, according to ABC News and Gothamist. He was first arrested on a murder charge.

Did he plead guilty? No. He pleaded not guilty.

Is the GW Bridge open? Yes. All lanes reopened around 1 a.m. Wednesday, NBC New York reported.