Longtime St. Paul officer, mayor’s security guard dies suddenly at 59
St. Paul MN May 15 2019 Benny Williams, a longtime St. Paul officer who most recently was the mayor’s guard, died Monday night.
The 59-year-old suddenly became ill and was hospitalized on Sunday night.
“Benny was a beacon of positivity for our department and community,” Police Chief Todd Axtell wrote in an email to the police department. “His energy could light up a room, his smile could make your day, his kindness could warm your heart. He loved his family, his job and his community. And he poured himself into making St. Paul a better place for everyone.”
Williams was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical Center’s intensive-care unit on Sunday night, where medical staff “worked tirelessly to do everything they could to help Benny,” Axtell wrote.
He was surrounded by family and friends during the 22 hours he was hospitalized, Axtell said.
Williams grew up in St. Paul. He worked for the city’s police department for nearly 27 years — first as a community liaison officer and then as a police officer for the last 25 years.
Since Melvin Carter became St. Paul’s mayor in 2018, Williams was assigned to provide his security.
Williams, previously a missing-persons investigator, was part of a team still trying to solve the 1993 disappearance of 17-year-old Hang Lee. A photo of the teen was taped on the wall in the missing-persons unit.
“We look at it, and it’s like an incentive for us to figure this out,” Williams said in 2014. “We look at it every day.”
Axtell said he remembered seeing Williams at events, “cheering on runners during the Twin Cities Marathon, giving out high-fives and hugs to anyone lucky enough to pass through the intersections he was working, doing the job the right way. He was truly a special person who will be missed by everyone fortunate enough to have met him.”
