By Kristi Miller
Pioneer Press
SR. PAUL, Minn. — A former St. Paul police officer who was brutally attacked while responding to a 911 hang-up call more than a decade ago has died of her injuries, the police department announced Sunday.
“It’s with great sadness that we share the passing of retired Saint Paul Police Officer Felicia Reilly, who passed away Saturday, March 1 , 2025,” St. Paul police spokesperson Nikki Muehlhausen said. “Those who knew Felicia remember her as compassionate, devoted, and an inspiration to many. Felicia was a hero and she will be profoundly missed.”
She was the first St. Paul female officer to die from injuries received in the line of duty, according to the St. Paul Police Retirement Association . The statement from the association said that her husband, Matt Reilly , was at her side when she died.
Reilly quit his job as a St. Louis Park police investigator to take care of his wife, whose condition grew progressively worse over the years.
Her family released a statement Sunday saying that Reilly “was injured in the line of duty and that was what killed her,” her family said. “She fought to stay alive.”
The statement read that she and her husband’s “faith in God gave her the grace and strength to fight for her life every day over the years and over tremendous odds.”
She “loved God, family, and being a cop in that order,” the statement continued. Her “death from this injury is heartbreaking. Our mom’s life was more than this injury. She always encouraged every person to pray for their enemy and to practice forgiveness.”
In March 2010, Reilly responded to a 911 hang-up call at Thomas Jerard Swenson’s parents’ home.
“What ended her career was a courageous battle with a suspect that repeatedly kicked her and assaulted her,” St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell has said.
Swenson “sucker-punched her,” her husband said, which knocked her to the ground, and he continued to assault her.
A jury found Swenson guilty of assault and he was sentenced to 8½ years in prison in November 2015 .
Due to her severe injuries, Reilly wasn’t able to return to work as a St. Paul police officer and for several years, the city fought her workers’ compensation claim. They settled as she and her husband were at the brink of bankruptcy over her medical bills.
In 2016 while being recognized and honored for her years of service, Reilly said that she saw double, her stomach had shut down, she could only consume puréed food.
She said she was in constant pain and had been prescribed an end-of-life drug.
Now that she has died from her injuries, it is unclear if additional charges will be brought against Swenson.
“We will consult with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office to determine if additional criminal charges are appropriate in this instance,” said Muehlhausen.
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Mara Gottfried contributed to this article.
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