Zane Zieman

Link: Read a 2006 Dallas Observer article about Senior Cpl. Norman Smith’s work

Smith was married to Dallas police Lt. Regina Smith. They met when Norman Smith was working at the Dallas County Jail.

“Norm was working there, and he came up to her and said, ‘You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,’ ” Kunkle said.

Lannom said Smith was an expert on the gangs in the southern sector, where Tuesday’s shooting occurred.

“He worked that area in patrol,” she said. “He knew that area. It made sense when he came to the unit to become the expert on the gangs in that part of town.”

Kunkle said Smith “could go into the toughest neighborhoods and be respected.”

On Tuesday, Smith and about six other gang-unit officers were in search of a violent felon at the Oak Wood Place Apartments, police said.

Smith, flanked by two other officers, approached the door and knocked. Someone inside asked who was there, and Smith responded with a fake name, police officials said.

When the suspected gunman opened the door, Smith yelled that they were the police, according to the preliminary investigation. The suspect then tried to close the door, and Smith pushed back. That’s when he was shot.

Officers returned fire, frantically trying to pull their fallen comrade out of the line of fire as the gunman opened the door and continued shooting. No one else was injured in the gunbattle.

The three men inside the apartment then surrendered, one at a time, within minutes of the shooting.

Hours afterward, a SWAT unit remained at the scene, and police officers roamed the complex on the northeast corner of Wadsworth and Loop 12.

Surrounded by a black wrought-iron gate, the apartment complex has long been known as a haven for drug and gang activity.

In 1998, it was the scene of a gunbattle between police and drug suspects. Someone fired through an apartment wall, hitting Dallas police officer Edward Menchaca in the hip. A second police officer was grazed by a bullet.

The officers were investigating a tip that a drug deal was going on inside the apartment.

Kunkle said Regina Smith, who works in his office, was devastated by the news, just as he was.

“These are just people that I have tremendous love and affection for,” he said. “They’re all tough, but for me this is a really difficult situation.”

Built like a middle linebacker, Smith stood well over 6 feet tall and was known to be even-tempered, opinionated and even sentimental. Lannom said she was introduced to her husband by Smith.

“I still remember Norm standing there all embarrassed, asking me if I wanted to go out with Jon,” Lannom recalled. “I owe my husband to Norm.”

Lannom said Smith’s mother is from Europe, and he spent a portion of his youth there. Before joining the Dallas police, Smith worked as a Kaufman County sheriff’s deputy.

The Smiths have two teenage children, a boy and a girl. Those who knew the couple well said they enjoyed antiquing, collecting fine china and traveling in their off-hours.

“They were just magical together,” Kunkle said.

Staff writers Marissa Alanis and Joanna Cattanach contributed to this report.