WATCH | Attorney for GWB shooting victim's family questions investigation into ex-NYPD detective
GWB shooting: Attorney for victim's family reacts to downgraded charge
Keith White, one of the attorneys representing the victim's family joins FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt on Newsroom Live. The 2 discussed the retired NYPD detective's downgraded charge as well as other details about the case.
NEW YORK - An attorney for the George Washington Bridge shooting victim's family is raising questions about how the case against ex-NYPD detective Victor Romero is playing out.
What they're saying:
Keith White, one of the attorneys representing the family of Koran Irvine, the 46-year-old father of two whom Romero allegedly shot to death during a road rage dispute, discussed details of the case Friday on Newsroom Live with FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt.
"Typically, when an innocent Black man is shot and killed by police or law enforcement, or former law enforcement, there is a narrative that is attempted to be painted about that person, and so we wanted to make sure that we controlled the narrative," White said.
The backstory:
Port Authority police responded to the George Washington Bridge just after 7 p.m. Tuesday following reports of a single-car crash on the New Jersey-bound upper level.
Officers arrived and found a blue Volkswagen that had crashed into the middle divider. Police said Irvine was found unconscious and unresponsive behind the wheel. The rear passenger window was shattered and appeared to have bullet damage.
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Who is Victor Romero? Ex-NYPD detective accused of manslaughter in GW Bridge shooting
Victor Romero, 62, faces manslaughter charges in the fatal GW Bridge road rage shooting. The retired NYPD detective was previously wounded in a 2000 shootout at his family's Brooklyn laundromat.
Irvine, suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder and was rushed to Englewood Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The other side:
Romero, who retired from the NYPD in 2001, was arrested and charged with murder less than 24 hours after the deadly shooting. The DA then downgraded the charge to manslaughter.
Romero has pleaded not guilty.
The Source: This story was written with information from FOX 5 NY's interview with attorney Keith White, the NYPD's Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI), and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department.