A New York City grand jury indicted a retired NYPD detective on second-degree murder charges for allegedly fatally shooting a Black father of two in an apparent road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge.
Victor Romero, 62, is accused of killing Koran Irvine, 46, a Con Edison worker who was driving home after working overtime on Oct. 20. Police said a near-collision on the bridge sparked the deadly encounter, with Romero tailgating Irvine, pulling alongside his car and firing a fatal shot before speeding away.
Police initially arrested Romero on a murder charge that was reduced to first-degree manslaughter. However, the charge was upgraded to second-degree murder following the grand jury’s indictment on Tuesday.
“The appropriate charge is now being charged, but now expecting and pushing for his bail to be revoked,” Irvine family attorney Keith White told CBS New York.
Romero posted a $1 million bail after his Tuesday court appearance.
Before the hearing, dozens of Irvine’s coworkers lined up outside the courthouse as Romero walked in alongside his own security. There were also four rows of Irvine’s colleagues and friends inside.
“I need everybody to understand it could be anybody. It could be anybody. It’s not just Koran. It’s not just a Black thing. It could be anybody, but it happened to be my brother,” Irvine’s sister, Zeria Irvine, said.
Frank Morales, president of Irvine’s union, sent a letter on Oct. 23 to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urging him to pursue second-degree murder charges against Romero.
Morales also called for Romero to remain in custody while awaiting trial, arguing that his former career in law enforcement should not shield him from facing the same prosecution as anyone else accused of homicide.
“This man is not a hero. This man is a criminal,” Morales said. “While the charges were brought back up, this man is still at home. He should be remanded to come back.”
Romero allegedly admitted to being the shooter to investigators and handed the gun to police, sources told The New York Post. Investigators believe they recovered a bullet fragment from a black Range Rover. The fragment is undergoing analysis, according to ABC 7.
Investigators reviewing video footage believe Romero pulled alongside Irvine’s vehicle near the rear passenger side shortly before the shooting. Irvine’s car suddenly shifted, then veered into the median and stopped. The other vehicle drove away.
Authorities preliminarily believe the bullet passed through the rear passenger-side window and grazed the driver’s seat headrest before striking Irvine in the right shoulder and exiting through the left side of his neck. Emergency responders transported him to Englewood Hospital in New Jersey, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The shooting prompted the closure of the bridge’s upper level for several hours. Authorities reported no other injuries.
Irvine lived in Valley Cottage in Rockland County, New York, and left behind a wife, a son, and a daughter. His wife, Patricia Irvine, said she is outrage that Romero is not in jail after killing her husband.
“He did something really, really wrong. He killed my husband. There’s no disputing that. Like, he did it. Like, he did that. He needs to pay. That’s it. For him to be walking around and be able… with his family is unacceptable,” she told ABC 7.
Irvine had recently celebrated 20 years of working for Con Edison and regularly picked up overtime shifts to support his family, according to relatives.
“A plant in Con Ed is crippled right now because my brother was the backbone of that project. They were working on their second transformer, said his sister, Sylvia Irvine.
The company issued a statement mourning Irvine’s death.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a member of the Con Edison family in this senseless act of violence,” the company said. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who knew and loved him.”
Another family member, who asked to remain anonymous, said Irvine and his wife openly showed their love for each other.
Sylvia Irvine says the loss of her brother is especially hard due to the passing of their father, who also died young.
“My dad died at 60, and now my brother’s dead at 47. The last man to carry his last name is his 11-year-old son,” she said.
Before his arrest, Romero had survived a violent encounter as an NYPD detective. According to police sources cited by the Post, Romero retired in 2001, about a year after gunmen attempting to rob his family’s laundromat in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, wounded him in an off-duty shootout in June 2000.
During the robbery, one of the armed suspects allegedly threatened those inside, shouting, “Give us all the money or we’ll blow your heads off!”
Romero reportedly agreed to cooperate and pleaded with the robbers not to hurt anyone. But when one suspect pressed a gun against a customer’s cheek, he opened fire with his service weapon. The confrontation left Romero and two suspects wounded.
An officer at the scene praised Romero’s actions at the time, saying, “He’s lucky to be alive. That bullet could have easily ripped through his heart.”
The officer added, “He’s a true hero — he prevented a potential bloodbath.”
More than two decades later, Romero faces a manslaughter charge in a separate shooting.
“They want to talk about what he did, what he has done. He is a retired, early retirement, at that, police officer,” Sylvia Irvine said. “You were not even an ounce of what my brother is and what he is going to be. He is a living legend.”
Romero is due back in court for arraignment Nov. 23.
