A grand jury was convening Monday, Oct. 26, to consider charges against Victor Romero of Haverstraw, who is accused of shooting Koran Irvine, aValley Cottage dad and Con Ed worker, as both drove their vehicles over the George Washington Bridge on Oct. 20.
Romero, a retired NYPD detective, was charged with manslaughter
at his Oct. 22 arraignment, after NYPD police the day before had lodged a murder charge against him. His bail was set at $1 million.New York City Department of Corrections records showed that Romero had paid bail and been released on Friday, Oct. 23.
Outside court, a 'rally for justice'
A grand jury will ultimately determine charges the 62-year-old Romero may face.
Romero was scheduled to be in Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, Oct. 27.
At 4:30 p.m. outside the courthouse,
Con Ed unions, Utility Workers Union of America Local 1 & 2, plan to rally for justice for their brother member. Koran Irvine.
UWUA Local 1 & 2 President Frank Morales sent a letter to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Oct. 23, according to UWUA, asking the DA evaluate a second-degree murder charge, consider keeping Romero in jail pending trial and ensure rigorous prosecution.
"The fact that the accused was once entrusted with enforcing the law cannot become a reason for treating him differently under it," Morales wrote.
Irvine's family has questioned the downgrading of the charge against Romero and setting of bail at last week's arraignment.
"To go and have dinner that same night, and my brother was not able to go home and have dinner with his children or his wife?" Zeria Irvine, Koran Irvine's little sister, said Oct. 23 outside Manhattan Criminal Court. "And they say he's not a flight risk?"
Deadly encounter on commute home
Court documents allege the deadly encounter played out this way: Romero's SUV nearly collided with Koran Irvine’s Volkswagen Golf on Oct. 20 on the approach to the George Washington Bridge. Romero tailgated Irvine "aggressively", drove up alongside him and fired a single shot into Irvine’s car, killing him, court records claim.
The case has rattled Rockland. Community and political leaders have expressed condolences to Koran Irvine's family, and shared frustration over the incident and the charges.
The 46-year-old Irvine, whose family home is just off Route 303 in Valley Cottage, and Romero, whose condo is in Haverstraw, lived just 7.5 miles apart. Yet an encounter some 30 miles away brought tragedy.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Irvine's wife and two children. Find it here.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Grand jury weighs charges for accused George Washington Bridge shooter
