Honorary blood drive held for Officer Molly Bowden

The annual Officer Molly Bowden Memorial Blood Drive is being hosted by American Red Cross on Friday.

ABC 17 spoke to the father of Molly Bowden, a Columbia police officer who was shot in the line of duty in 2005. David O. Thomas, Bowden’s father, explained that the night when Bowden was shot, there was a blood drive put on by the American Red Cross. Over 400 people came out in support of Bowden, who was in urgent need of 14 pints of blood.

Since the last 13 years since Bowden passed, almost every year they have hosted a blood drive in Molly Bowden’s memory. We asked Bowden’s father what he thinks of the sacrifices his daughter made to the city of Columbia.

“That’s a hard one, Molly just loved people, and she loved helping people and it’s just unfortunate that this happened.”

Thomas explains that the police department has been a vital part in the memory of his daughter and even after all these years, they still honor her.

“So this blood drive has been very meaningful because we talked to a lot of police officers… But anyway, we are very heavily involved in the police department because we love them.”

We also spoke to Sergeant Chad Craig, who worked alongside Bowden. He said the of loss his friend and colleague was a defining moment for him and his career.

“It more than less made things real for me. It may be understand what is expected of us. What could happen and what the job really meant. It really brought home that yes, I am doing this for the right reasons, we are here to protect and to serve. And, she embodied that.”

The blood drive is being held at the Grace Bible Church located at 601 Blue Ridge Road between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Donors can stop by anytime or schedule an appointment online.