A Philadelphia police officer has died of his wounds, nearly three months after being shot in the neck after stopping a vehicle while on duty, city officials said. Officer Jaime Roman, 31, who spent 80 days in intensive care without regaining consciousness, died Tuesday night. Roman leaves behind a wife, a 7-year-old daughter, and a 4-year-old son. He had been with the department for nearly seven years, reports the AP.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports officers pulled over a Toyota sedan that lacked the proper registration on June 22 and then learned the driver, Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, 36, of Philadelphia, did not have a license. In a statement released Wednesday, the department said Rodriguez Vazquez was removing personal belongings from the vehicle while waiting for a tow truck to take the car when Roman noticed an empty holster on the floorboard. Rodriguez Vazquez then ran away, and Roman and his partner chased after him, city police said. Rodriguez Vazquez "then turned and fired three shots," hitting Roman, according to police. Rodriguez Vazquez forced his way into a home, where police arrested him.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said murder charges would be filed against Rodriguez Vazquez. Rodriguez Vazquez was previously charged with attempted murder, assault, gun offenses and other counts. Fellow officers stood outside Temple University Hospital to honor Roman Tuesday night as a vehicle drove his body to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office. At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Cherelle Parker vowed to "not allow his death to be in vain" and ordered city flags to be flown at half staff. Department leaders at the news conference remembered Roman as a vibrant person who could light up a room, and who had always wanted to be a police officer.
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