Retired NYPD detective shares her story of survival

In January 1993, Katrina Cooke Brownlee - riddled with bullets - was rushed to a Long Island, N.Y., hospital. Brownlee says she had already survived years of abuse by her fiancé – Alex Irvin – a prison guard at Riker's Island. 

"I don't remember not having a black eye," Brownlee said. "It was always something."

Brownlee says her calls to 911 always ended the same way. "Every time he flashed that badge, they would walk away," she explained."

But there was no walking away from his final attack.  "He opened the door … And … he pointed a gun to me and … he shot me in my stomach. And then he shot me again. And — " Brownlee said, breaking down in tears. "Ultimately, he shot me 10 times."

Incredibly, Brownlee not only survived — she focused on changing the system that had let her down.

"Why did you want to become a cop?" asked "CBS Saturday Morning" co-host Michelle Miller.

"I wanted to become a good cop," Brownlee replied.

"There's a difference?"

"Hmm, yeah," Brownlee replied. "A good cop has empathy, a good cop cares."

Katrina Cooke Brownlee became a top ranked detective and one of the few black women in NYPD history chosen to protect a New York City mayor.

"I was a great cop," she said.

You can watch Miller's report, "Katrina Brownlee: The Good Cop," tonight at 8/7c on the CBS News Streaming Network. Download the CBS News app on your cell phone or connected TV.