Former Phoenix Police Officer and ICE Trainer Linked to Multiple Fatal Shootings

In a 2021 deposition, David S. Norman acknowledged involvement in at least four lethal shootings. While serving as a Phoenix police officer from the late 1990s to 2020, he was involved in six shootings that left four dead and two injured. The Phoenix Police Department confirmed he fired on armed suspects in each incident and exchanged gunfire in at least two.

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After retiring in 2020, Norman founded TruKinetics LLC, a law-enforcement training firm in Gilbert, Arizona. Its curriculum covers small-team tactics, hostage rescue, close-quarters combat, building searches, night-vision firearms, pistol and rifle instruction, vehicle interdiction, breaching with explosives, and sniper tactics. He said working with federal agents was an honor.

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TruKinetics obtained a year-long $27,748 contract to run a mandatory 40-hour course for Department of Homeland Security Special Response Teams at Fort Benning, Georgia. Each year, roughly 700 SRT agents from Customs and Border Protection, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Office attend. Norman said his firm trained the Arizona HSI Special Response Team.

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• Six on-duty Phoenix Police shootings (four fatalities, two injuries).

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• Four lethal shootings acknowledged in 2021 deposition.

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• TruKinetics contract: $27,748 for a year-long, 40-hour course.

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• Approximately 700 DHS SRT agents receive the training each year.

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• Training locations: Arizona facilities and Fort Benning, Georgia.

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The Phoenix Police Department confirmed Norman fired on armed suspects in each of the six incidents and exchanged gunfire in at least two. Procurement records verify the $27,748 contract to TruKinetics for the DHS SRT training. The source contains no public DHS or ICE comment.

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The deposition is part of a lawsuit that scrutinizes Norman’s involvement in lethal shootings and his role training federal agents. Norman has said his courses did not involve crowd-control tactics or active-shooter scenarios, but provided no further detail, leaving the extent of the training unclear.

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The source offers only a general list of training tactics, lacking a detailed curriculum breakdown. While the Phoenix Police Department confirmed Norman’s use of force, the specific circumstances of each shooting are undocumented publicly. No DHS response on the trainer’s background appears in the source.

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• “They’re top dudes, and it was an honor to work with them,” — David S. Norman, Founder, TruKinetics LLC

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• “It sounds like you’re one of those dudes who’s doing a hit piece on HSI,” — David S. Norman, Founder, TruKinetics LLC

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The 2021 deposition is part of a lawsuit that may further examine Norman’s conduct and the federal agencies’ procurement decisions. Future oversight hearings could address the transparency of training contracts and the vetting process for instructors with on-duty shooting histories.

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