PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It has been one year since SWAT Sgt. James O'Connor was shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant with his unit, happening just days before Philadelphia enacted pandemic shutdowns.
Just hours after Terri O'Connor celebrated her birthday, she got the call no police officer's wife wanted.
"By him giving his life, he took four violent criminals off the streets of Philadelphia. He should definitely be remembered for that," she said.
The four men were arrested and charged in connection with O'Connor's death, but the preliminary hearing was pushed back more than six months later because courts were closed. When it finally took place, something truly unexpected happened — one of the defense attorneys went into labor, her water breaking just after the testimony was heard.
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"It's been the craziest year ever. Jim being killed, and then a pandemic hitting at the same time," said O'Connor. "I understand how much everyone is going through, but for me, I just took everything personally."
But through it all, her family, her husband’s colleagues and fellow officers, and the widows of fellow officers, including Maureen Faulkner, Judy Cassidy and Kim Pawlowski, have all been there to comfort her.
"They are a great support system," she said. "If anyone kind of knows what I am going through, it’s definitely them."
When the pandemic is finally over, O'Connor hopes to continue to memorialize her husband and his sacrifice. She said he was a man who would do anything for anybody and she wants the people in the city to know he gave his life to protect its citizens.