Court documents detail an alleged road-rage incident that led to disaster on the George Washington Bridge this week.
The shooting at around 7 p.m. Oct. 20, left Valley Cottage resident Koran Irvine dead, authorities said. Irvine, a married father of two, was heading home from his job with Con Edison.
Retired NYPD Det. Victor Romero, a Haverstraw resident, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Oct. 22 on a charge of first-degree manslaughter for Irvine's death. Police had originally charged Romero with second-degree murder.
Romero pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $1 million as prosecutors requested.
Outside court, members of the Irvine family blasted the manslaughter charge, questioning why that would be allowed for someone who authorities
say fled the scene. They described Irvine as a devoted father.
Gale Forde, Irvine's aunt, questioned whether justice would be truly served. "Would someone regular, without having a job as a police officer, get the same treatment and a bail offer, when you intentionally kill someone and fled the scene?"
Zeria Irvine, Koran Irvine's little sister, said her brother's shooting and crash could have caused other fatalities. She said of the accused Romero, "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 said, at times sobbing. "And they say he's not a flight risk?"
A near crash, tailgating and then a single shot
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.
The bullet was fired as both cars were moving. It went through the rear passenger window of Irvine’s car, and hit him in the shoulder. His car then lurched across all the New Jersey bound lanes and struck the center median. He was taken to Englewood Hospital, where he was pronounced dead .
Then, Romero sped off to the Palisades Interstate Parkway, the first exit off the upper level of the GWB, on his way home to Haverstraw, a Manhattan prosecutor said in court.
Romero surrendered to police on Oct. 21. According to arraignment documents, Romero turned over a loaded revolver he said he always carries. Two other handguns were recovered at his home and all three are undergoing testing to determine which was used in the shooting, records show.
Why manslaughter was charged
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Sears called the killing particularly senseless and said a high bail was necessary because Romero did not stop, did not call 911 and faces significant prison time.
New York City police had said on Oct. 21 that Romero was arrested on a murder charge, but on Oct. 22, he was arraigned on a manslaughter charge.
A murder charge would have accused Romero of intentionally killing Irvine or showing a depraved indifference to his life. The manslaughter charge alleges that he caused Irvine’s death while trying to seriously injure him.
Prosecutors could still pursue a murder charge once they present the case to a grand jury next week.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Retired NYPD cop charged with manslaughter in GWB 'road rage' shooting
