Philadelphia kickball tournament honors fallen Officer Jaime Roman

Philadelphia police officers traded their uniforms for kickball jerseys Monday evening at Lighthouse Park, joining Jaime Roman’s family and community supporters for the third annual tournament in his honor.

Capt. Steven Bennis said the tournament started as a way to support Roman’s family and give officers an outlet after a traumatic incident, while also honoring “all the fallen officers that we have worked with.” Officers from across Philadelphia mixed with relatives and neighbors.

Roman was shot during a traffic stop in Kensington on June 22, 2024, when he and his partner pulled over a vehicle on F Street at about 7:18 p.m. The driver, Ramon Rodriguez-Vázquez, fired three shots while fleeing and one struck Roman in the neck. Roman remained hospitalized for about 80 days before dying on Sept. 10, 2024, and a judge later upheld murder charges against Rodriguez-Vázquez on June 17, 2025.

Roman’s widow, Jazmin Hernandez, said the tournament makes her feel supported and not alone, and she called the people who show up a “big family.” She said Roman grew up in Kensington and served in the 25th District, the job he had wanted, and described him as “a ball of energy” with a soft heart who wanted to help anyone he could.

Roman had been on the force for seven years. He left behind a wife and two children, including a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son who bears his name. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel posthumously promoted him to sergeant, and the family received the Purple Heart and Medal of Honor at his funeral on Sept. 19, 2024, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker attended that service.