Retired NYPD detective charged with murder in George Washington Bridge road-rage shooting
Victor Romero, 62, a retired NYC detective, has been arrested and charged with murder after fatally shooting a motorist on the George Washington Bridge during Tuesday evening rush hour.
Retired NYC detective surrenders after fatal road-rage shooting on GWB
A retired New York City Police Department detective has been charged with murder following a road-rage shooting that killed an off-duty utility worker on the upper deck of the George Washington Bridge, 6abc.com reports.
Victor Romero, 62, surrendered to authorities at the 33rd Precinct in upper Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon, hours after investigators publicly named him as a person of interest in the homicide.
The victim, identified as Koran Irvine, 46, was driving a blue Volkswagen Golf westbound on the bridge's upper level during the Tuesday evening rush hour when he was shot. Irvine was an off-duty Con Edison worker from Rockland County, New York.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD), officers were dispatched to the bridge after reports of a single-vehicle crash. Responding units found the driver with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Irvine was transported to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators are treating the incident as a likely road-rage killing. Surveillance footage reviewed by police shows Irvine's vehicle was involved in a near-collision with another driver on a ramp leading to the westbound upper deck, sparking a dispute between the two vehicles. As both cars continued toward New Jersey, an occupant of the other vehicle opened fire, striking Irvine. The shooter fled the scene immediately; police did not release a description of the suspect's vehicle.
The shooting occurred just after 7 p.m. No other injuries were reported.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a member of the Con Edison family in this senseless act of violence," a Con Edison spokesperson said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone who knew and loved him."
The westbound lanes of the upper deck were closed for approximately six hours while officers investigated the scene and collected evidence, reopening around 1 a.m. ET Wednesday. The George Washington Bridge is considered the world's busiest bridge.
Romero faces a murder charge following his surrender to law enforcement.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)