The retired NYPD detective accused of shooting a fellow driver to death during a road rage clash on the George Washington Bridge tailgated the victim “aggressively” before firing a fatal shot through the victim’s rear windshield, prosecutors said Thursday.
Victor Romero, 62, was charged with manslaughter and ordered held on $1 million bail during his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, where devastated relatives of 46-year-old Con Edison worker Koran Irvine, a father of two, packed multiple benches.
Romero was initially charged with murder by cops but charges were downgraded to manslaughter by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Describing the slay as “a particularly senseless killing,” Assistant District Attorney Max Sears said the Tuesday evening shooting on the New Jersey-bound upper level of the Hudson River span was sparked by “a near collision” between the two men as they drove onto the bridge.
A furious Romero pursued Irvine, tailgating him “closely and at times aggressively” in his black Range Rover before taking out his gun and firing into Irvine’s vehicle, striking the victim below his right shoulder and “killing him,” while both were “still moving with the flow of traffic,” Sears said.
Irvine came to an abrupt stop after lurching into the right lane. Romero fled the scene, did not call 911, and “did not turn himself in,” Sears added.
After cops identified and contacted Romero, he reported to the precinct. He admitted he owned a revolver and carried it daily, Sears said.
Romero retired from the NYPD in 2001 after joining the force in 1994. He left the force with a disability pension after he was shot in the wrist and chest during an off-duty shootout with three gunmen who tried to rob his family’s Brooklyn laundromat.
Romero’s lawyer, Alan Abramson, said in court Thursday his client had been a “heroic police officer” who had a “sterling” record with the NYPD.
The lawyer pushed back on the prosecution’s assertion that Romero didn’t turn himself in. “He was asked to come in, and he did,” Abramson said.
“He’s not charged with murder,” the lawyer added. “Many, many elements of this case are up in the air.”
Abramson said Romero, who wore a white shirt and brown slacks to court, was married with four kids and is a lifelong New York resident, barring a brief time living in the Poconos. He’s worked in private security jobs since leaving the NYPD and Abramson said Romero’s current employer “stands behind him” after the incident.
Abramson said he expected there would be an “excellent resolution” in the case. “He is a responsible person,” he added.
Irvine was commuting home from work in his dark blue Volkswagen hatchback when he nearly collided with Romero on the Manhattan side of the bridge on the W. 179th St. entrance ramp, officials said.
Medics rushed Irvine to Englewood Medical Center in New Jersey, but he could not be saved. The longtime Flatbush, Brooklyn, resident and his family had recently moved to Valley Cottage in Rockland County, N.Y.