St. Paul police officer Felicia Reilly dies nearly 15 years after on-duty attack
An attack on a Twin Cities police officer more than a decade ago changed a family forever.
The St. Paul Police Department Retirement Association says officer Felicia Reilly is the first woman to die after sustaining injuries in the line of duty at the department.
Felicia Reilly's son, Ben Reilly, says she dreamed of being a police officer her whole life.
"She really loved serving the people of St. Paul and St. Paul was the city she loved," Ben Reilly said. "She wanted to be a St. Paul cop."
He says she joined the police academy when she was 39, and already a mother of five.
"She used to practice with us kids climbing fences, jumping walls, handcuff takedowns," he said. "She always had a really big smile on her face."
In 2010, a man attacked Felicia Reilly while she was responding to a 911 call, kicking her in the head repeatedly. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. Ben Reilly says she never recovered.
"We lost our mom that day," he said. "If you ask my dad, her end of watch was March 24, 2010. She never came home from that call."
Ben Reilly says his mother didn't live a normal life after that. She died Saturday at the age of 67.
"She was very much a family person and she was no longer able to play with her grandchildren after the injury," he said. "She had a chronic headache all the time. She had quadruple vision, double vision in both eyes. Toward the end, she started to hallucinate."
The St. Paul Police Department wrote in a Facebook post, "Those who knew Felicia remember her as compassionate, devoted and an inspiration to many. Felicia was a hero and she will be profoundly missed."
Ben Reilly says his mother loved God, and he believes she's in a better place now.
The man who attacked Felicia Reilly was convicted of assault and served an eight-and-a-half-year sentence. Ben Reilly says his mother forgave the man, and he has as well.
On Monday, Ben Reilly announced the City of St. Paul will give his mother a police funeral with full honors. Her visitation is set for Monday, March 10 at 9 a.m. at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church in St. Paul, with her funeral following at 11 a.m.
