NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In front of family, friends, former colleagues and top brass from the Philadelphia Police Department, Terri O’Connor remembered her husband’s ultimate sacrifice in the place where he received his final assignment at SWAT headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia.
“Days like this are extra hard,” she told the crowd gathered on the five-year anniversary of the death of her husband, Sgt. James O’Connor.
His final assignment on March 13, 2020 was to detain a homicide suspect, but his SWAT unit was met with gunfire as it advanced inside an apartment on Bridge Street, near Bustleton Avenue in Frankford. Despite wearing protective gear, a bullet struck O’Connor where his vest met his flesh, killing him almost instantly.
It left Terri and their two kids heartbroken, and the last five years have been challenging due the pandemic. As a result, O’Connor never got the hero’s send off with a citywide funeral usually reserved for officers killed in the line of duty.
Instead, the SWAT headquarters have become a respite where his young granddaughters go to play and O’Connor’s face is all over the community.
“They know his picture, they know his name. His picture is in the church at the school they go to and they go in all the time and go ‘that’s my pop, that’s my pop,’” said Terri.
A career in law enforcement also now runs in the family, as his son Jimmy now works as a K-9 officer with a very protective dog named ‘Corp’ after his dad.
“That’s his protector and I can only hope that you know he’s safe out there, but he’s very happy and he loves it,” said Terri.
She also believes it’s unique Jimmy pursued a career in law enforcement given his dad’s passing in the line of duty, but said she respects him for making the decision.
It’s one of the many ways the family continues to honor Sgt. O’Connor’s legacy after five years.
“Whether I like it or not, we keep moving forward.” said Terri. “We live life and we keep making memories.”