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Ex-NYPD officer again faces murder charge in George Washington Bridge shooting
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 4:35 p.m. ET
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Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 4:35 p.m. ET
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The former NYPD detective accused of killing a man in a road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge is again facing a murder charge.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said Tuesday that a grand jury indicted Victor Romero, 62, of second-degree murder after “an extensive investigation” since he appeared in court last week.
Police initially charged Romero with murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Koran Irvine before prosecutors downgraded that charge to manslaughter. Romero posted $1 million bail on Friday, and prosecutors said his bail status did not immediately change with the increased charges. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 23.
Romero’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a court appearance last week, Assistant DA Matt Sears said surveillance footage shows Romero’s car following Irvine’s after they almost collided near the entrance to the bridge last Tuesday around 7 p.m. Several minutes later, Romero fired a gun from the driver’s seat of his car, hitting Irvine behind his right shoulder, then kept driving into New Jersey, the prosecutor said.
The former detective’s attorney described him as a “hero police officer” with a “sterling record” at last week’s court appearance.
Irvine worked at Con Edison, according to a statement released by the utility company after his death.
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new york city
public safety
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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