St. Paul Officer Receives Funeral With Full Honors After Fighting Injuries Sustained in Line of Duty for 15 Years

(KNSI) – A St. Paul police officer who died from her injuries 15 years after she was brutally beaten while on duty was buried with full honors on Monday.

Felicia Reilly was a 14-year veteran of the force when she answered a call for a domestic disturbance in March 2010. The call was made by the mother of Thomas Swenson. She was forced to hang up before being able to talk to dispatch, but at the scene, she said her son had been drinking and was off his medication for bipolar disorder. Reilly was viciously assaulted by Swenson, including repeated strikes to the head. Reilly would officially retire from the SPPD in 2013, but she could never overcome neurological symptoms like double vision and migraine headaches that had sprung up in the wake of the assault. She fought those injuries for 15 years before she died on March 1st, 2025.

Around 100 officers attended the service at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church. They heard about a woman who came across a boy with a stray kitten on rounds, who brought the animal home with her and adopted it. The cat was named Donut in a nod to the stereotypical love affair between police and pastries. Reilly is believed to have gone on 20,000 calls in her career.

Reilly has been given a medal of valor for her dedication to the city and citizens of St. Paul.

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