Jaime Roman: Funeral held for Philadelphia officer who died after being shot in June
PHILADELPHIA - A funeral service was held Thursday for slain Philadelphia police officer Jaime Roman, who died nearly three months after he was shot during a traffic stop.
Roman, 31, was remembered by family, friends and a sea of his fellow officers during a funeral service at Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Center City.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherrell Parker each spoke at the funeral. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel also shared remarks about Roman.
Roman, a 6-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, was conducting a motor vehicle investigation on F Street in Kensington in June when he was shot.
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Jaime Roman, a 31-year-old Philadelphia Police officer who was shot during a traffic stop back in June, has died.
He leaves behind a wife and two children, a 4-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.
"Officer Roman left his wife and children on June 22 to go to work, protecting and serving the people of the 25th District, and he never came home," Mayor Cherelle Parker said following his death.
The mayor ordered city flags to fly half-staff for the officer, who was the first to die in the line of duty during her time as mayor.
Parker and Commissioner Kevin Bethel, have vowed that Roman's "ultimate sacrifice" will "not be in vain."
Commissioner Kevin Bethel said he was honored to spend time with Sergeant Roman’s family during his nearly three-month fight.
"Let me tell you ladies and gentleman he fought, he fought, I didn’t have to know his strength, people told me he was strong, I saw his strength in play," he said.
During the funeral, he posthumously promoted Roman to Sergeant. He also read a memo that Sergeant Roman had sent, saying he would be honored to be part of the Kensington initiative.
"His life was about giving back. He embodied, what service meant, and what we wear on our patch every day, honor, integrity, and service," he said.
Casket of slain Philadelphia police officer Jaime Roman arrives at funeral service
A funeral procession was held Thursday morning for slain Philadelphia police officer Jaime Roman, who died nearly three months after he was shot during a traffic stop. Roman, 31, leaves behind a wife and two children, a 4-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.
"These are my children now," Bethel said. "When I came on the job it was my colleagues as a young cop, but now this 31-year-old officer is taken away from me… and every time I walked into that hospital, I would see my son."
The suspected shooter in Roman's death, 36-year-old Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, is expected to be charged with murder.