Victor Romero, a former NYPD detective who had been working as a driver and security guard for a hedge fund, now faces a second-degree murder charge after a grand jury indictment in the fatal shooting of Koran Irvine on the George Washington Bridge last week.
Romero, 62, appeared in court Tuesday as the charges against him were upgraded following the grand jury’s decision. He had previously posted $1 million bail and pleaded not guilty to initial first-degree manslaughter charges.
Irvine, 46, worked for Con Edison for 20 years and leaves behind a wife and two children. Dozens of his Con Edison coworkers came to the courthouse Tuesday to stand with his family.
“We’re brothers here,” one Con Edison employee told FOX 5 NY outside the courthouse.
The coworker said he and Irvine were close friends whose families often “hung out” together and whose children were also friends.
Prosecutors allege the shooting followed a near collision between the two men’s vehicles as they approached the bridge. Surveillance video, according to prosecutors, shows Romero “aggressively tailgating” Irvine’s car before pulling alongside it and firing at least one shot.
Authorities carried out a 24-hour manhunt before locating Romero after the shooting.
Romero appeared in court Tuesday with his attorney and his own private security detail. He did not speak to reporters outside the courthouse.
He is scheduled for a Supreme Court arraignment on Nov. 23. His attorney, Alan Abramson, could not be immediately reached for comment.
