Family members and loved ones of the Santa Monica College employee who was tragically shot and killed on campus this week gathered for a heartfelt memorial service Friday.
Felicia Hudson, 54, had been on campus for nearly three decades and was working as a jail manager when police said she was shot Monday night by Davon Durell Dean, a 39-year-old custodian at the school. He died the next day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with SWAT officers, according to police.
Although the suspected motive is still under investigation, police have described the killing as a “workplace incident.”
At Friday’s service, held at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, those who knew Hudson said she was dedicated to her job and proud of her work at the school.
“My mother was a hard worker first and foremost,” said her son, Patrick Buckley. “Work was her pride and joy.”
According to Buckley, the fatal shooting occurred after his mother tried to work with Dean over some issue.
“She was just giving this gentleman some directions, but he just couldn’t get the directions properly and opened fire on my mother,” Buckley said.
Santa Monica College
On Monday evening, just before 10 p.m., Dean shot Hudson on the university’s satellite campus in front of the Center for Media & Design, located at 1660 Stewart Street, police said. Law enforcement officers searched for Dean the next day as classes were canceled and Hudson remained hospitalized in critical condition.
Tuesday afternoon, El Segundo Police Department officers a black sedan followed was driven by Dean before reaching the area of Aviation Boulevard and 120th Street in the city, police said. SWAT officers pulled the car over to the side of the road and after a standoff with the officers, Dean died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.
Authorities say Dean was previously arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in 2011 and assault with a deadly weapon in 2019. He was also convicted of property crimes.
However, according to the law, the council was only aware of the crimes for which he had been convicted. For Buckley, that may have led to the seemingly senseless murder of his mother, as the school apparently knew nothing of the more serious crimes Dean had been accused of in the past.
“(He) should not have been an employee at Santa Monica College, and that mistake caused me to lose my mother,” he said.
Still, Buckley, who graduated from campus in 2013 with a degree in biology, said he doesn’t want the school to be looked at differently in light of what happened.
“This is a beautiful campus with a beautiful, beautiful community, and please don’t let this tragedy spoil that,” he said.
With so many years working there, Hudson had dedicated herself to her work and cared deeply about it, according to those who spoke at her memorial service. “She cared about this university. She cared so much,” her friend, Emily Raby, said through tears.
Kathryn Jeffery, president of Santa Monica College, became emotional as she spoke to attendees at the Performing Arts Center, where roses were placed on Hudson’s casket and doves were released as the people in her life paid their respects. “We are saddened and sickened,” Jeffery said as she cried.
Earlier this week, the campus released a statement saying Jeffery praised Hudson for her work at the school.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of our colleague Felicia Hudson, who served the college with dedication and heart for nearly three decades. She took great pride in being a steadfast colleague and leader,” Jeffery said in the statement .
“To Felicia’s family, loved ones and friends, SMC extends our sincere condolences and prayers,” Jeffery said. “The council will thoroughly investigate this incident. SMC is providing crisis counseling services to employees and students as we mourn our irreplaceable colleague.”
