The family of a 46-year-old married father of two who died after being shot in a suspected road rage incident on the George Washington Bridge earlier this week spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday.
Koran Irvine’s family and their attorney spoke to the media outside the Manhattan courthouse, where the alleged perpetrator, Victor Romero, a retired NYPD detective, appeared in court.
“I speak to my brother every day,” Zeria Irvine said. “He guides me every day. We lost a father!”
“To go home that same night and have dinner, that same night my brother was not able to have dinner with his children or his wife… You are not even an ounce of what my brother is,” she added.
During the hearing, the judge set Romero’s bail at $1 million. The prosecution charged him with voluntary manslaughter, not murder as initially charged by the police.
The retired detective’s attorney and family described him in court as a heroic police officer and family man.
On Friday, court documents revealed that Victor Romero posted bail and was no longer in police custody.
News 4 reached out to Romero’s attorney for comment. Nicholas Liakas, one of the lawyers representing the Irvine family, shared the following statement:
“It is deeply troubling that Victor Romero, a retired NYPD detective, was initially charged with murder, only to have that charge downgraded to manslaughter—and has now been able to post bail. It is clear that he received preferential treatment because…READ MORE
A GoFundMe campaign has been setup to support the Koran Irvine’s family.
