Baltimore police identify officer on life support after she was ambushed and shot

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A Baltimore police officer on life support after being shot in an ambush-style attack while sitting in her patrol car has been identified. 

Baltimore police identified the injured officer on Thursday as Keona Holley and said that police received a call about a car crash around 1:35 am and found that Holley’s patrol vehicle had crashed, and she had suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Baltimore PD Commissioner Michael Harris gives an update on an officer-involved shooting on Dec. 16, 2021 (Baltimore PD Facebook) (Baltimore PD Facebook)

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Authorities believe the officer accelerated from a rested position and crashed after being shot.

Officers at the scene performed first aid and transported Holley to the University of Maryland Medical Center where she is currently on life support in critical condition.

"These are injuries that are going to evolve over some time," Dr. Thomas Scalea of University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma department said in the Thursday press conference. "This is not going to be a quick fix."

Holly reportedly picked up the Wednesday night shift to work overtime in one of the city's more dangerous areas.

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 17: A Baltimore police officer posts himself near the intersection of W. North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in West Baltimore, MD, on Friday, April 17, 2020.(Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Holley has served on the force for two years and her sister, fighting back tears, said at the press conference that it was her "lifelong goal" to work for the Baltimore City Police Department. 

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"The person who did this to my sister - you are a coward," Holley’s sister, Lawanda Sykes, said. "She is stronger than you will ever be."

A vehicle of interest has been identified and a reward of $118,000 is being offered to help find the perpetrator. 

The shooting of Officer Holley comes as crime continues to surge in the city of Baltimore.

Baltimore has recorded a total of 322 homicides so far this year, according to police data, and online statistics show that homicides were up 3% last month from the same time the previous year. 

File photo - a man sits on a park bench overlooking Baltimore harbor and skyline, Baltimore, Maryland.  (Photo By: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

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Homicides, carjackings, aggravated assaults, and bank robberies have all increased compared to the same time last year.

"We've got to do better in this city," Sykes said. "Baltimore, we are killing ourselves. It should not be like this! At some point the city has to turn around... not just for my sister, for all the lost souls we've had this year. My sister is fighting for her life. We will continue to fight with her and for her."