Woman running 20 miles to honor fallen SAPD detective

Distance represents Detective Marconi's 20 years of service

SAN ANTONIO – Public Safety Headquarters has turned into a place of healing. Many people are coming by to pay their respects to Detective Benjamin Marconi outside the building, just feet away from where he was shot and killed.

Elizabeth Reyes stopped by in the middle of a special 20-mile run. Reyes said it was her way of honoring Marconi's 20 years of service on the force.

"It's just to give hope to San Antonio, to give hope to his family, to keep the spirit of San Antonio alive," Reyes said. "These guys, they keep us safe. They keep our community safe and this is what I can do to honor him."

Reyes said she takes some comfort in knowing police captured the man they believe killed Detective Marconi.

"I had every hope that they would catch somebody and they did," said Reyes.

Diane Flores brought her three children, who each brought a memento to leave at the vigil.

A hand-drawn picture from her oldest son, a Lego police officer from her youngest son and a giraffe from her baby girl.

"We have a very great respect for police officers all that they do to keep our kiddos safe, keep our city safe," Flores said. "My husband is in the Army so we are very supportive of the military and the police."

Angelica Acosta brought a Weber County Sheriff's Office patch from her brother, who is a deputy sheriff in Utah.

"Especially for my brother, I'm here for him," said Acosta. "I'm very proud of him. I'm very proud of all our officers and I hope they all know that we pray for them every day. We support them and our family. We back the blue."

Marconi was shot and killed Sunday while writing a traffic ticket. The 30-hour manhunt for the accused gunman, Otis McKane, ended Monday afternoon when he was arrested in east Bexar County.


About the Author:

Stephanie Serna is a weekday anchor on Good Morning San Antonio and GMSA at 9 a.m. She joined the KSAT 12 News team in November 2009 as a general assignments reporter.