Victor Romero, 62, appeared in court on Oct. 27 for a mandatory court hearing as his case is set to go before a grand jury. It marked the first time many family members and friends of Koran Irvine – the Con Edison worker shot dead on the George Washington Bridge on Oct. 20 — had seen his alleged killer’s face amid accusations that authorities had attempted to hide Romero from the public.
According to court documents, both Romero and Koran Irvine almost collided on the span at around 6:47 p.m. on Oct. 20 when Irvine attempted to change lanes. Prosecutors say Romero then followed Irvine and pulled up alongside him when he allegedly opened fire.
“The surveillance video establishes this was the moment of the gunshot that killed Mr. Irvine, because Mr. Irvine’s car came to an abrupt stop in the middle of free-flowing traffic, lurching to the far right lane. All of the video evidence collected thus far definitely establishes that that car, an SUV, was the defendant’s vehicle, registered to his employer and issued to him,” ADA Matthew Sears said on Oct. 22.
The rear window of Irvine’s Volkswagen Golf had been shot out, and a bullet was found lodged in his right shoulder. Meanwhile, Romero allegedly sped away. He was tracked down to his workplace in Manhattan the next day by police, where they recovered a revolver from him and two more handguns from his home.
Romero left the courtroom flanked by security guards as close to a hundred utility workers gathered outside of 100 Centre St. on Oct. 27. They jeered Romero, who has been out on $1 million bail, as he pushed his way into an awaiting vehicle.
Romero was indicted by a Grand Jury on an upgraded murder charge Tuesday afternoon.
Chris Demmerle, who worked alongside Irvine, reacted to seeing his friend’s alleged killer.
“We barely recognized him walking in. There’s been very little coverage of his face. They’ve kept him safe, kept him so no one sees him. I don’t. I’ve seen a current picture of him, so I saw him in the courtroom and barely even knew it was him,” Demmerle said.
According to Demmerle, he knew Irvine well and their kids were friends.
“We went out, you know, soccer games, hanging out. His kids knew my kids. I had to take my kids out of school the other day and explain to them what was going on, so that they wouldn’t see it somewhere else before I got the chance to tell them that their friend’s father was killed,” Demmerle added.
Romero is next expected to be in court on Nov. 23.
