Victor Romero, the 62-year-old retired New York City police detective accused in the fatal road-rage shooting on the George Washington Bridge, posted $1 million bail on Friday and was released from custody, according to court and Department of Correction records reported by the New York Post and summarised by Particle News. The release came a day after his Thursday arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, where prosecutors charged him with first-degree manslaughter instead of the murder charge announced at his arrest.
Source: Particle News
Prosecutors allege that on Tuesday evening, Romero and Con Edison worker Koran Irvine, 46, nearly collided on the ramp to the bridge's upper level, and that surveillance video shows Romero tailgating Irvine's car, pulling alongside it and firing a single shot through the window. Irvine, a father of two from Valley Cottage, New York, was struck and later pronounced dead at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey. Romero was arrested the following day. All of these allegations remain unproven, and Romero is presumed innocent.
At Thursday's arraignment, Romero pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter. The judge set bail at $1 million, granting the prosecutors' request, PIX11 reported via CrimeCod. His defence lawyer, Alan Abramson, had asked for lower bail and described his client in court as a hero police officer. The Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment publicly on why the case was not charged as murder.
Source: PIX11 reporting, via CrimeCod
Irvine's family spoke outside the Manhattan courthouse on Thursday and denounced both decisions. His sister, Zeria Irvine, said her brother was not able to go home to dinner with his wife and children, while Romero could. The family's lawyers, Keith White and Nicholas Liakas, alleged in a statement reported by Black Star News and News 4 that Romero received preferential treatment because he is a retired detective. White told the New York Post on Sunday that if Romero had stayed charged with murder, he should have been remanded without bail.
Source: Black Star News
Investigators have recovered a revolver that Romero admitted carrying, along with additional firearms from his home, and forensic testing of those weapons is continuing while the Manhattan District Attorney prepares to present the case to a grand jury, Particle News reported. Romero is due back in court on Tuesday, according to the reports.
Arrested Wednesday on a murder charge, Romero faced a reduced first-degree manslaughter charge at his Thursday arraignment, had bail set at $1 million, posted it on Friday and was released. A charge reduction is not an acquittal: prosecutors must still prove the manslaughter case, and a grand jury presentation is being prepared.
Awaaz Punjab first reported Romero's arrest and murder charge on October 22. This update will be followed if the grand jury acts or the court sets new conditions on his release.