Philly police officer Jaime Roman dies 80 days after being shot during traffic stop

A Philadelphia Police officer is dead, and murder charges are now being filed against the man accused of killing him.

Officer Jaime Roman was shot June 22 during a routine car stop in the 3500 block of F Street in Kensington. He was shot in the neck when a suspect tried to flee capture.

It was a somber scene at police headquarters Tuesday night as officials gathered to announce Roman’s death. Mayor Cherelle Parker spoke about the difficulty in dealing with the death of an officer in the line of duty, her first as the city’s chief executive.

“We will not allow his death to be in vain,” Parker said. “It just means we have to continue to work as hard as we possibly can to make sure that the public health and safety of our city is our number one priority, and I shall not be moved.”

Improving conditions and reducing open substance abuse in the Kensington neighborhood has been a priority for Parker’s administration, but this shooting occurred because the suspect’s vehicle was pulled over during a traffic stop,  not because of narcotics.

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said city officers make a commitment to protect and serve, and they put their lives on the line for that commitment.

“We will continue to serve the community and what we ask you to do is to continue to respect that work,” he said.

Bethel said he spoke to the officer’s father and said Roman “always wanted to be a cop” and called him a “worker.”

The city’s police clergy pitched in to help in the wake of the shooting. Bethel said the clergy even helped complete a home project that Roman had started to ensure it was properly finished.

Captain Steven Wheeler of the 25th district described Roman as a man “who would light up a room.”

Roman had been on the for nearly seven years.

Police set up a line outside their headquarters as Roman’s body was brought to the city Medical Examiner’s office, and then again when the funeral home came to pick up the body to prepare for his funeral.

The suspect in this case, 36-year-old Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, is being held on $12.5 million bail. The charges are in the process of being upgraded from attempted murder to murder, and he will be re-arraigned on the new charges.