Jaime Roman: Funeral services for fallen Philadelphia officer announced
PHILADELPHIA - The life of Philadelphia police officer Jaime Roman will be celebrated this week after his service to the community came to a tragic end earlier this month.
The 31-year-old officer was shot while conducting a motor vehicle investigation on F Street in Kensington this past June. He died months later, on September 10.
He will be laid to rest this week as family, city leaders and fellow officers gather for a viewing on Wednesday and funeral on Thursday:
- Viewing: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. September 18 at John F. Givinish Funeral Home
- A public viewing for Officer Roman will be held Thursday, Sept. 19 at Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- A funeral will follow at 11 a.m. and seating inside the Basilica will be limited to family, friends, law enforcement personnel, and dignitaries.
Philadelphia announced a number of road closures for the service. Those closures can be found, here.
Roman was a 6-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, and leaves behind his 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.
Jaime Roman: Mayor Parker orders flags at half-staff for Philly officer killed in line of duty
Police, city officials and the entire community are mourning the loss of a fallen Philadelphia police officer whose life was tragically cut short while serving his city.
Parker, along with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, have vowed that Roman's "ultimate sacrifice" will "not be in vain."
"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.