From shooting victim to joining the NYPD: Katrina Brownlee’s miraculous journey

14 Aug 2025 • 34 min • EN
34 min
00:00
34:17
No file found

At just 22 years old, Katrina Brownlee was shot 10 times by her fiancé and left for dead. She miraculously survived and became a decorated NYPD detective, a mentor and the founder of a nonprofit support group for at-risk women. She also made history as the first Black woman to serve on the protective detail of a New York City mayor. Brownlee’s powerful memoir, “And Then Came The Blues,” recounts her harrowing journey from trauma to triumph. She joined NY1’s Errol Louis to share how she survived the shooting, rose through the NYPD ranks and broke barriers in law enforcement. The conversation explored her challenging childhood marked by abuse, her motivations for joining the police force, and her work with Young Ladies of Our Future, the group she founded to mentor and guide at-risk youth.

From "You Decide with Errol Louis"

Listen on your iPhone

Download our iOS app and listen to interviews anywhere. Enjoy all of the listener functions in one slick package. Why not give it a try?

App Store Logo
application screenshot

Popular categories