Retired NYPD detective charged with murder in George Washington Bridge shooting
In short
Koran Irvine, 46, a Con Edison worker, was shot dead in his car on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Victor Romero, 62, a retired New York City police detective, was charged with murder on Wednesday; police were investigating the shooting as possible road rage.
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A 46-year-old motorist, Koran Irvine, was shot dead while driving on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge on Tuesday evening, and a retired New York City police detective has been charged with murder, according to AP and ABC News. [ 2 , 3 ]
The Port Authority Police Department received reports of a one-vehicle crash on the westbound upper level and found the driver with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head, a spokesperson told ABC News. The New York Post reported that the shooting happened around 7 p.m. and that the westbound upper level was closed. Irvine, of Valley Cottage, New York, was taken to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, where he was pronounced dead. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The suspect had fled and remained on the loose late Tuesday, the New York Post reported, with investigators reviewing security camera footage. By Wednesday, AP reported that Victor Romero, 62, of Haverstraw, New York, had been arrested and charged with murder. ABC News reported that Romero surrendered Wednesday afternoon at the 33rd Precinct in upper Manhattan, citing law enforcement sources, after investigators announced that a person of interest was wanted. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
ABC News said police were investigating the shooting as a possible road-rage encounter after surveillance video showed the victim's car had been involved in a near-collision with another driver before the shooting. The New York Post, citing law enforcement sources, also said it appeared to stem from road rage. [ 3 , 5 , 8 ]
According to AP, Romero retired from the NYPD in 2001 after he was wounded in an off-duty shootout with men trying to rob his family's Brooklyn laundromat in June 2000. AP said a phone number listed for him rang unanswered and information on a lawyer was not immediately available. [ 2 ]
Irvine worked for Con Edison. The company called the shooting a "senseless act of violence" and offered condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. The New York Post reported that relatives described him as a hardworking family man, and described him as a father of two. The Port Authority said closed lanes reopened about five hours after the shooting. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The shooting snarled traffic for hours on a busy Hudson River crossing and ended in a murder charge against a retired police officer. The documents give no court or trial details yet.
Key facts
- Koran Irvine, 46, of Valley Cottage, New York, was found shot and unconscious in the driver's seat of a vehicle on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge just after 7 p.m. Tuesday and was pronounced dead at a hospital. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Victor Romero, 62, a retired NYPD detective from Haverstraw, New York, was charged with murder on Wednesday. [ 2 , 3 ]
- ABC News reported that police were investigating a possible road-rage encounter after surveillance video showed the victim's car had a near-collision with another driver before the shooting. [ 3 ]
- Irvine worked for Con Edison, which called the shooting a "senseless act of violence". [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Closed lanes reopened about five hours after the shooting, the Port Authority said. [ 2 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A motorist was fatally shot on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge on Tuesday evening at about 7 p.m. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The victim was identified as Koran Irvine, 46, a Con Edison worker. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Retired NYPD detective Victor Romero, 62, was charged with murder in the killing. [ 2 , 3 , 8 ]
- The shooting was reported as apparently stemming from road rage. [ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
Still unclear
- How Romero came into custody The AP text says he was arrested Wednesday, while ABC News says he surrendered at the 33rd Precinct on Wednesday afternoon, citing law enforcement sources.
- Romero's response to the charge AP said a phone number listed for him went unanswered and information on a lawyer was not immediately available.
- Official motive An earlier AP version said authorities had not given a possible motive; later reports cite police and law enforcement sources describing a possible or apparent road-rage incident.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Irvine is found shot in his vehicle on the bridge's upper level around this time, after reports of a crash. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The New York Post reports the suspect had fled and was still on the loose late Tuesday. [ 1 ]
- AP reports that Romero was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder. [ 2 ]
- The New York Post reports law enforcement sources saying the shooting appeared to stem from road rage. [ 5 ]