Eight years ago today, a senseless death in the line of duty

I'm taking a moment to remember a woman here in Lexington who gave her life trying to save another. Our firefighters and police do not get nearly the recognition they deserve. May she rest in peace, and may her family be comforted by the memorials in her honour.

Firefighters honor Brenda Cowan; hang mystery blanket in former station

Cowan was Lexington's first black female firefighter. She was a trained paramedic, a University of Kentucky graduate and the sister of Fred Cowan, a member of UK's 1978 national championship team. She had been promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Station 18 about a week prior to her death.

Cowan was among the first to arrive to the scene of a shooting at 8645 Adams Lane, about a mile from the station. While tending to another female gunshot victim, Cowan was shot by Patrick Hutchinson, a paranoid schizophrenic who had shot and killed his wife before paramedics arrived. Another firefighter was wounded by Hutchison, who was firing a rifle through an open window of the home.