Dallas PD Gang Unit Officer Killed

[carlson1]

DPD Gang Unit Officer Shot
Last Edited: Tuesday, 06 Jan 2009, 7:55 PM CST
Created: Tuesday, 06 Jan 2009, 6:56 PM CST
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A Dallas gang unit police officer was shot Tuesday evening while trying to serve a warrant.
Officials confirm the officer was at an apartment complex in the 4900 block of Wadsworth Drive at about 6:30 p.m. when he was hit.
He was transported to Baylor hospital, but his condition is still unknown. A crowd of fellow officers reportedly gathered outside the hospital to wait for news about his condition.
Dallas SWAT officers were called to the scene of the shooting. They arrested three suspects, but it is still unclear whether or not the shooter has been taken into custody.

It was reported that the Officer later passed away. Remember this family in your prayers.

[jbirds1210]

Prayers sent for the family of this Warrior.

Jason

[Crossfire]

I just saw this on the news. God bless his family.

[GrayHawk]

God bless this officer, his family, and let's not forgot his brothers in blue at DPD.

[carlson1]

Update: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Dallas ... -Shot.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A veteran police officer was shot and killed Tuesday night when he and other officers attempted to serve a felony warrant in Oak Cliff.
Dallas police Chief David Kunkle said Senior Cpl. Norman Smith was shot at the Oak Wood Place Apartments in the 4900 block of Wadsworth Drive just after 6 p.m.
Sgt. Gil Cerda said Smith was shot in the face. Smith was transported to Baylor Medical Center, where he later died, Kunkle said.
Police said about five to six officers with the gang unit were at the apartment complex serving a felony warrant for aggravated assault.
"They went to the front door, knocked on it and were met with gunfire," Lt. Andrew Harvey said.
Police did not announce who they were before they attempted to serve the warrant, Kunkle said. It was a method "to get suspects to come to the door without announcing they were police officers," he said.
A SWAT team cleared the apartment. Residents of nearby units were evacuated for several hours.
"It's dangerous out here," resident Maelaene Daniels said. "I don't like this."
She said her heart and prayers went out to the officer's family.
Kunkle said Wednesday would have marked Smith's 18th year on the Dallas force. He was on the gang unit for 14 years.
His wife, Lt. Regina Smith, is also a Dallas police officer and works in Kunkle's office.
"She is devastated, and I don't know if it would hurt worse if it was one of my family members," Kunkle said.
He said the couple met while doing what they love.
"They met when she was a young police officer," he said. "And Regina's a striking, beautiful woman; she's very beautiful, and was making an arrest in the county jail. And Norm was working there and camp up to her and said, 'You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.' And they had a love affair that started that day and never ended."
The Smiths have three children.
Police took three men into custody for questioning. No charges were filed as of late Tuesday night.
Smith is the 79th Dallas officer killed in the line of duty.
Smith was well-known throughout the department and in the community, Kunkle said.
"Norm was doing exactly what he wanted to do," Kunkle said. "He was a great, great street officer, and he had the heart of a warrior."

[longtooth]

From here too.

[Morgan]

God bless him and his family. I thank him for his service and sacrifice.

[Keith B]

Always a tragedy when someone who serves us loses their life in the line of duty. Prayers for the family, friends and fellow officers.

[casingpoint]

Situations like this make it obvious why some PD's use their SWAT teams serve warrants.

[txflyer]

My sympathies to his family. It's tragic when something like this happens.

[KD5NRH]

Situations like this make it obvious why some PD's use their SWAT teams serve warrants.

Those are only for drug warrants. This was just a little ol' agg assault. Nothing to indicate the guy might be violent or anything like that.

[cowboymd]

Prayers for the family of the officer, and the rest of the DPD. Also for expeditious prosecution of the BG.

[carlson1]

Situations like this make it obvious why some PD's use their SWAT teams serve warrants.

Those are only for drug warrants. This was just a little ol' agg assault. Nothing to indicate the guy might be violent or anything like that.

DPD Chief said that they knew this was a HIGH RISK warrant. It appears the SHOOTER was not the target of the warrant.

Police identified the suspected shooter Wednesday as 26-year-old Charles Patrick Payne, who faces a capital murder charge.
The man wanted on a felony warrant was identified as William Jobe, 29, who was also in the apartment and was arrested. He is still being questioned. A third man in the apartment was questioned and released, police said.

[bryang]

Our hearts and prayers go out to his family.

-geo

[CHL/LEO]

Situations like this make it obvious why some PD's use their SWAT teams serve warrants.

DPD has three teams that run felony "high risk" warrants - SWAT, Gang Unit, and Narcotics. Narcotics focuses on drug warrants and the other two units handle the rest. It used to only be SWAT but we have so many high risk warrants in Dallas that they had to add the Gang Unit.

Trust me, the Gang Unit is trained for and knows how to run these type of warrants; and based upon the review we did last night of this shooting these officers did it exactly by the book. When you're shot in the face like Norm was no helmet or body armor could have prevented this type of outcome. When you're the doorman on a warrant team you run that risk.

Thanks for every one's thoughts and prayers.