Family of police officer, former Cal U student who helped clear area before explosion in Nashville talks to Channel 11

Nashville police Officer Brenna Hosey went to school at the California University of Pennsylvania in Washington County.

She was one of the six officers who cleared the area before the bomb went off in Nashville on Christmas Day.

For parents of a police officer — it’s a nightmare come true.

Christopher and Dawna Hosey are the parents of Brenna Hosey.

The Hoseys told Channel 11 their daughter started her journey of becoming a police officer by attending the California University of Pennsylvania in Washington County.

Reporter: “Now, when you heard that it happened in Nashville. Did you automatically think of Brenna?”

“We knew that in some way, shape or form ... she was in proximity to it. We just didn’t know how close, and it was one of those things right as the day unfolded. And we started getting additional information. It became more troubling,” said Dawna Hosey.

She said they received a text from her daughter’s boyfriend about the explosion, but it would be hours before they actually heard her voice.

Reporter: “What is the first thing you said to her when you did talk to her?”

“I just asked if she was OK. Um, she had a concussion, a little bit of whiplash. Um, they were all exhausted. But just being able to hear her and talk to her was the best Christmas gift we had. I think so,” Dawna Hosey said.

The Hoseys also told us their daughter had trouble sleeping and kept dreaming about the explosion.

But after several days, she was feeling like herself again.

The family said even though her line of work is dangerous and often thankless, they were so proud to know that their daughter helped to save lives on Christmas Day.

“All six of them handled it admirably, and you know you can’t say enough good things. You just feel for them as people having to do that. I mean, they truly ran toward what other people would run from,” Dawna Hosey said.

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