A retired Saint Paul Police officer who died on March 1 from injuries she suffered during an on-duty attack in 2010 was honored Monday during a funeral service.
Felicia Reilly, 67, was responding to a call on March 24, 2010 when a man kicked her in the head repeatedly, causing her to suffer a traumatic brain injury.
Ben Reilly, Felicia's son, remembered his mom during the service Monday inside Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church.
"Many times she made dinner, she made enough to put out an extra place setting in case we had a visitor, in case someone turned up in need," Reilly said. "There was always a little extra, even in times when we had a hard time making sure there was enough. There was always extra. She was compassionate and she was true to herself. She never made a promise, no matter how small, that she did not keep."
Saint Paul Police Chief Axel Henry, who was a Field Supervisor on the day of the attack, told the crowd that he will never forget that day and being one of the first five squad cars to arrive on-scene.
"Something I will never forgive myself for, as much as I know I probably couldn't have prevented it, and my coworkers who were there couldn't have prevented it, we'll never be able to forgive ourselves for not getting there sooner."
During the service, Henry announced Reilly was being awarded the Medal of Valor by the Saint Paul Police Department.
"As we add her name to that hallowed list, we want to make sure our community knows, and most importantly her family knows, that we will never forget her," added Henry. "We love her, we appreciate her, we remember her, and we will never forget. Felicia, your life may have been cut short, but your impact certainly was not. Rest easy our brave friend, we'll take it from here."
Prior to Monday's funeral, Henry issued a written statement, "We’ve learned the double jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution prevents us from amending and upgrading the charges against her attacker."
"While we can’t go back and prevent this tragedy, what we can do now is show our respect and appreciation for Officer Reilly and her family’s struggle. Heroes and their sacrifices should never be forgotten. Officer Reilly is one of those heroes and we will never allow her courage and sacrifice to be forgotten.”