LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A social media post showing a picture of an off-duty female officer running to help just minutes after shots were fired at the Fayette Mall has gone viral. Stacy Shannon's good friend, Steve Newell, made the post sharing the story behind it.
Steve Newell and Stacy Shannon have worked alongside each other in law enforcement for years. So, it was no surprise to him, when Newell saw the picture on social media and he recognized who was in it.
"I saw the picture and I sent her a text. She had told me she was at Olive Garden eating. When all of that had started. She called to find out what was happening and as soon as she realized what was happening, she just immediately ran to her car, grabbed her vest and ran across the parking lot to the mall," Newell said.
Steve then decided to post this on Facebook, telling the story of his friend's heroism. His post has thousands of shares and comments. Steve says it's heartwarming to see support of law enforcement, despite tensions.
"Just a couple weeks ago, a month ago, she was on the front lines of the protest downtown getting yelled at and spit on," Newell said.
He didn't expect his post to go viral, Steve says he simply wanted the public to know that there are many officers just like Stacy Shannon.
"When something happens, they'll be there. It's not about power, it's not about notoriety, it's just about what they want to do. Care for people, make sure people are taken care of and do what needs to be done and that's exactly what she did," Newell said.
