By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-813891.mp3
Dallas, TX – A memorial fund has been established at the City Credit Union on behalf of Dallas Police Senior Corporal Norman Smith, who was killed last night in the line of duty. Corporal Smith would have celebrated his 18th anniversary on the force today.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle called Corporal Smith "a great, great street officer with the heart of a warrior." The 43-year-old gang unit officer was shot in the head as he and others attempted to serve an arrest warrant at an East Oak Cliff apartment complex known for its criminal activity. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert calls it a senseless act of violence that leaves him without words.
Leppert: You search for exactly what are the right words to say to family and to everyone. You're thankful to them for the sacrifice that they've made, that Senior Corporal Smith made. You understand how important it is, and how dangerous the work is that not only our police department, but Dallas Fire-Rescue does.
Smith's wife is a lieutenant in the Dallas Police Department. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Smith is the first officer in the U.S. to be killed in the New Year. 26-year-old Charles Patrick Payne is in jail, charged with capital murder.