$1.5M bail reinstated for man accused of shooting Philly school safety officer

$1.5M bail reinstated for alleged shooter of Philly school safety officer

Bail has been reinstated at $1.5 million for Giansteban Ariza, 29, who is accused of shooting Philadelphia school Safety Officer Craig Romanczuk 11 times.

PHILADELPHIA - Bail has been reinstated at $1.5 million for the man accused of shooting a Philadelphia school safety officer 11 times.

Bail reinstated for accused shooter

What we know:

Officer Craig Romanczuk was shot 11 times between the chest and mouth on June 29th after being flagged down by a driver involved in a road rage incident, according to police. Giansteban Ariza, 29, is accused of the shooting and is facing charges including attempted murder.

Today, Assistant District Attorney Christian Wynne argued that Judge Scott O’Keefe reinstate Ariza’s bail to $1.5 million and he ultimately agreed. 

The arguments came a week after Judge Christine Hope lowered Ariza’s bail from $1.5 million to sign on bail. Assistant DA Kevin Solove came prepared with a stay order that kept Ariza behind bars until Thursday's hearing.

Wayne Romanczuk, Craig's older brother, attended today’s hearing with other family members and school safety officers on his behalf, as he was at Jefferson Hospital for an appointment. He expressed relief at the decision to reinstate bail.

"It’s about the best you can do, it’s back to where it was, square one," he says.

The other side:

Ariza's defense attorney, Robert Trimble, argued that the Commonwealth has no proof that Ariza shot Officer Romanczuk. He believes Judge Hope made the right decision by initially lowering the bail to sign on bail, and that the case should be dismissed.

Assistant District Attorney Christian Wynne expressed concerns about the danger Ariza poses, stating, "If you’re willing to open fire on an individual like that who you clearly know and are able to relate is a law enforcement person, it does have alarm bells that go off for me, for the rest of the general public."

District Attorney Larry Krasner says sign on bail means that Ariza would not have to produce any money to get back on the street.

"I disagree the decision that was made here, but I also respect the independence of the judiciary. Certainly I hope that over the years we are doing better and better at persuading them that really dangerous people should not be out at bail levels that in this case were nothing," he says.

Officer Romanczuk's recovery and family support

Officer Romanczuk continues his recovery journey, with on-going rehab, and likely more surgeries ahead. Despite the ordeal, he remains hopeful for justice, telling FOX 29 last week, "I think as a society we’re all better off if this guy who committed this evil spends time in prison," said Romanczuk.

What's next:

The next step in the case is a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 23. 

The district attorney's office is prepared to move to trial despite the defense's claims that they have no witnesses that can identify Ariza as the shooter.