Too Stubborn to Die

In this episode I talk to my friend Sharnelle Harris (formerly Cole).  Shar refutes the term hero, even though she has earned herself a bravery award, one of the highest honours any police officer can receive.  She prefers to think of the police and ambos who came to her and her two partner’s aid as the heroes.

In the early hours of 1 May 2000, Sharnelle, Daryl Green and Chris Mulhall were shot whilst attending a neighbourhood dispute.  Despite being shot 8 times Sharnelle managed to call for back up and send a beacon to the other frantic police trying to find their comrades in the dark. 

Sharnelle is no victim, she is a stubborn human who refused to do anything but thrive in this life.  She is honest and caring and can still pull fun of herself when talking about what is arguably one of the toughest ordeals anyone could endure and the stuff that police officer’s nightmares are made of. 

***Trigger warning, the audio of Sharnelle calling for help on the radio has brought me to tears, her pure terror is palatable, and it will grind you to the core of your being.  The melee in the aftermath is also contained in this audio and it’s hard to listen to.  I have not included it in the podcast episode, you can find it at the link here, it goes for 6 minutes.  https://youtu.be/ecKKMsfBzyM