The annual event celebrates Officer Jaime Roman’s life while supporting his family and remembering fallen officers. Philadelphia police officers traded their uniforms for kickball jerseys Monday evening as they joined community members and the family of Officer Jaime Roman for the third annual kickball tournament in his honor at Lighthouse Park in Philadelphia. The event brought together officers from across the city to remember Roman, who was shot during a traffic stop in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood on June 22, 2024. He died from his injuries in September 2024. He was 31. “It shows the support that we have. It shows me that I’m not alone, that I have a big family. It means a lot. It brings us all together. We need moments like this during those hard times,” Roman’s widow, Jazmin Hernandez, said. Roman served in Philadelphia’s 25th District, a job his family said had always been his dream. He is survived by his wife, his son and a community that respected him. “Jaime was a ball of energy. He had nothing but love for everyone. He had the softest heart. He wanted to help anyone he could in any way he could. He grew up in this neighborhood,” Hernandez said. Capt. Steven Bennis of the Philadelphia Police Department’s 25th District said Roman made a lasting impact on everyone he met. “He just had that personality about him. He left an impression on you, and every community member that I have had the opportunity to speak to had nothing but raves about what an officer he was,” Bennis said. The annual tournament has become a way for officers to support Roman’s family while also helping colleagues heal after a traumatic loss. “We did it as a way to support his family and give an outlet for the officers to come together and bond over a traumatic incident. Since then, we have kept the tradition going to support Officer Roman’s family and all the fallen officers that we have worked with,” Bennis said. The event serves not only as a competition, but also as a time of camaraderie, remembrance and healing for the department and the community as they honor Roman and other officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less