As Philadelphia mourns the death of Officer Jaime Roman after a ‘valiant fight,’ Bethel vows to honor his legacy

The dreaded call came to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Tuesday afternoon: Officer Jaime Roman, who had been shot in the line of duty nearly 12 weeks earlier, was in deteriorating health and likely had only hours left to live.

Bethel rushed to Temple University Hospital and into the room where the 31-year-old father of two had lain unconscious since he was shot in the neck during a routine car stop on June 22. The commissioner sat with Roman’s loved ones and then, just before 8:30 p.m., watched as the officer took his last breath.

Through most of Bethel’s nearly four decades in the Philadelphia Police Department, he said Wednesday morning, he saw his fellow officers as colleagues.

But now, as head of the department, he said, they were far more.

“These are my children now,” he said, his voice trembling.

And losing Roman, he said, felt like losing a child.

The six-year veteran of the force was shot in Kensington by Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, 36, on the 3500 block of F Street, police said. The officer and his partner pulled Vazquez over for lacking proper registration for his Toyota sedan, and subsequently discovered that Vazquez did not have a driver’s license.

While waiting for a tow truck to haul the car away, they conducted a search of the vehicle, police said. During the search, police said, the officers discovered a gun holster tucked beneath a car seat, and when they attempted to confront Vazquez about it, he ran away — then started shooting at them with a gun he had in his waistband.

Roman was struck in the neck and fell to the ground, police said. His partner returned fire, but Vazquez was not hit. The partner then put Roman into his patrol car and sped to Temple Hospital.

Roman was admitted in critical condition. Officials said at the time that he was taken into surgery and then placed on a respirator. For the last 80 days, Bethel said, Roman had fought “a valiant fight.”

His family on Wednesday, overcome with emotion, declined to speak.

After shooting Roman, police said, Vazquez ran off, first to seek refuge in a nearby garage, then unsuccessfully trying to carjack a minivan, according to police. He ended up running to the 800 block of East Schiller Street, where police say he threatened a resident at gunpoint and forced him inside. SWAT officers arrested Vazquez inside that house later that night.

Vazquez was jailed and charged with crimes including attempted murder, aggravated assault of an officer, and illegal gun possession. The charges will be upgraded to murder now that Roman has died, Bethel said.

Bethel described Roman as the “nucleus of his family,” a strong father to a 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. He joined the force when he was just 23 years old, serving first in the 12th District in Southwest Philadelphia before moving to the 25th in North Philadelphia, said Capt. Steven Wheeler.

Roman’s father told Bethel that, as far back as he could remember, his son had “always wanted to be a cop.”

“That was unwavering,” Bethel said.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said all flags in the city would be flown at half staff. She had spent the night at Temple Hospital alongside at least 150 members of the police force, holding hands and praying for the officer and his family.

“It’s a day to remember the sacrifice of Officer Jaime Roman and the ultimate sacrifice that he made for the people of Philadelphia,” Parker said. “We will not allow his death to be in vain.”

She added: “The public health and safety of our city is our number-one priority, and I shall not be moved.”

Funeral arrangements were underway, police said, and details would be forthcoming.

Roman is the 10th police officer to be shot in the city in recent months — and the fourth to be killed in the line of duty since 2020.

Last year, Officer Richard Mendez was fatally shot inside a parking garage at Philadelphia International Airport while trying to stop a group of people from stealing a car.

Months before that, Temple Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed, police said, by 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer in North Philadelphia. Fitzgerald was attempting to stop Pfeffer after a rash of carjackings and robberies in the area, police said.

Phillies players including Kyle Schwarber met with Roman’s family before a game in August. Bethel shared images of Schwarber posing for photos and signing a bat for Roman’s relatives, writing: “We stand united with [officer] Roman, his family, friends and all who love him.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the first name of Officer Jaime Roman.