Katrina Brownlee is a retired police officer who dealt with domestic abuse at a very young age. Brownlee was only 18 years old when she met her abuser, Alex Irvin. The 18-year-old was a single mother living in the Brevoort housing projects in Brooklyn with no family.
Nowhere to go, Brownlee spent five years with her abuser in Medford, Long Island, until she became pregnant with her third child. During this time, she lived in a motel. However, as fate would have it, she returned to the Medford home to collect her things. During her visit, Irvin shot her multiple times.
She was saved by an unexpected visitor who took her to the hospital, with the assistance of Alex Irvin. Irvin was arrested with a strong case against him, but he pled guilty. He was sentenced to five to 15 years of imprisonment and was released on parole in 2003. He is currently working in the healthcare solutions industry in North Carolina. Brownlee’s case was recently featured on CBS 48 Hours in an episode called “Katrina Brownlee: The Good Cop.”
After enduring years of abuse and a near-fatal attack, Katrina Brownlee kept fighting.
Decades later, she became one of the first Black women chosen to protect New York City’s mayor. https://t.co/BgOiDZFEAe pic.twitter.com/YnYSAHnlyQ
— 48 Hours (@48hours) April 9, 2023
Domestic abuse case
According to CBS, Katrina Brownlee grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She became a mother at the tender age of 18 and lived in the Brevoort housing projects in her city.
The single mother met police officer Alex Irvin in 1988, and the two began dating. According to the news, Irvin’s abuse began very soon after they got together. Brownlee tried contacting 911, but according to her, police officers turned a blind eye after seeing her partner’s police badge.
After some time, the couple had a daughter together, but the abuse continued.
In 1992, Irvin moved the family to a house in Medford, Long Island. After being in a four-plus-year abusive relationship with her partner, Brownlee decided to leave Irvin and started living in a local motel with her daughters.
On January 9, 1993, a pregnant Brownlee went to the Medford residence to collect a few of her belongings. Upon arriving at the house, Irvin shot her ten times with his service revolver.
The mother of two was saved by an unexpected visitor at the home. The man found Brownlee unconscious in the bathroom and rushed her to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in Long Island. Irvin helped him carry Brownlee to the hospital.
Detective Katrina Brownlee speaks out about joining the NYPD after she says it failed to protect her from her abusive fiancé — a correction officer. https://t.co/OPuqMm7X6R
— 48 Hours (@48hours) April 8, 2023
Upon arriving, she was rushed to emergency surgery. Doctors were able to save Brownlee, but they could not save her unborn child. Doctors were not sure if Brownlee would ever walk again, but with constant therapy, she was able to make it possible.
She even created a strong case against her abuser, with the help of Assistant District Attorney Keri Herzog. However, Irvin pleaded guilty to all the charges against him and received a minimal penalty.
With no place to call home, Brownlee lived in a shelter in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. She took her daughters to McDonald’s to clean and wash them up. However, she did not let her situation discourage her.
In 2001, she joined the New York City Police Department. She wanted to help people and went on to work undercover multiple times for the department. Brownlee retired from the police force in 2021 after 20 years of service.
