Remembering : Police Officer Keona Holley
/Police Officer Keona Holley
By Jonny Castro
On December 16th, Baltimore City Police Officer Keona Holley was working an overtime shift in the Curtis Bay area of South Baltimore when two suspects approached her patrol vehicle from behind and ambushed her. Keona was shot multiple times in the cowardly attack. The officer was rushed to the hospital in grave condition. One week later, Officer Holley’s family made the difficult decision to remove her from life support just two days before Christmas. Two suspects have since been taken into custody. After shooting Officer Holley, the suspects were alleged to have gone on to murder another individual 90 minutes later.
Police Officer Keona Holley was a 2-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and leaves behind four children. She had left her job as a nursing assistant to join the Baltimore Police Department because she wanted to help make a difference in her city. In an interview last year, she was quoted as saying “the community needs Baltimore City police officers that are not just here for a paycheck. They’re here because they care.” That’s exactly the kind of person that she was. Officer Keona Holley was remembered as someone who would sing, dance and engage with young people in the neighborhoods that she protected. They gave her the nickname “The Mom from the West Side”. She was just 39-years old."
