NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — A retired veteran NYPD detective was arrested and charged with murder Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 46-year-old Rockland County man during an apparent road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge.
Police arrested Victor Romero, 62, of Haverstraw, after authorities said the former narcotics detective voluntarily came forward Wednesday for questioning about a possible role in the shooting.
Koran Irvine, a husband and father, was heading to the upper level of the bridge from the West 179th Street ramp in Washington Heights when surveillance video showed his Volkswagen swerve into another lane and nearly collide with a black Range Rover, police said.
Romero allegedly accelerated to catch Irvine’s vehicle and fired a single shot, hitting Irvine in the right shoulder. Irvine crashed in the central reservation and later died in hospital.
The shooting prompted authorities to close the bridge for hours. Police began searching for the shooter around 7 p.m. Tuesday after responding to a 911 call reporting a Volkswagen stopped midway. Irvine was found slumped in the driver’s seat, the rear passenger side window shattered by a gunshot.
Romero, who now works for an executive driving company, reportedly took the company’s black Range Rover home Tuesday evening after dropping off a passenger in Manhattan. Detectives were able to identify the vehicle, registered to the company, using surveillance cameras.
In the hours following the shooting, detectives located the Range Rover parked outside the retired detective’s home, and then on Wednesday morning, detectives asked him to voluntarily come forward for questioning at the 33rd Precinct, which he did. He was charged shortly afterwards.
Police are waiting for a search warrant to search his house in Haverstraw. His vehicle, which was seized, will also be searched for evidence linking it to the shooting.
Meanwhile, neighbors remembered the victim as a calm and friendly member of the community.
“He’s a nice guy, he lived here about two years. He recently put a lot of money into the house. I’m a little surprised. He’s a really quiet guy,” said neighbor David Kagan.
Another neighbor, Hope Dorcelly, described Irvine as helpful and welcoming.
“I remember when we first arrived, he was helping us. They have chickens out back. He brought us chickens, chicken eggs, actually, to greet us. And he was just a really nice guy. So we’re in shock and we’re really devastated for the family.”
Dorcelly also said the shooting shook her.
“It’s scary, I’m not going to lie. I’m about to take it now because I have to go to work, so I’m nervous. So it was very scary to hear about it this morning,” Dorcelly said.
Irvine worked for Con Edison and celebrated his 20th anniversary with the company in September.
A tribute posted on a GoFundMe page read: “Coran was a man full of life, love and dedication to the people who mattered most to him. His family was his world, and he worked hard every day to provide for and support his wife…and their children.”
“His death leaves an unimaginable void in the hearts of all those who knew and loved him,” we read in the tribute.
A ConEd spokesperson released the following statement:
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a member of the Con Edison family in this senseless act of violence. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues and all who knew and loved him.”
As for the suspect, Romero reportedly retired from the department a year after he was shot while off-duty when three armed robbers broke into his family laundromat in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, in 2000.
Romero was shot in the left hand and the bullet entered his chest, but avoided any threatening injury.
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