Parents of suspect killed by police say officers saved their lives

Kent Norman had beaten his 78-year-old father so badly he was unconscious.

The troubled son was holding a butcher knife to his 74-year-old mother's throat.

So when Indianapolis police fatally shot Norman after he refused to drop the knife, the elderly Far Eastside couple were devastated — but thankful, as well.

"If it was not for the two police officers arriving when they did and removing Mary Jane and John from immediate danger, and sure death, two of the finest Indy residents would have died that day," said Marshall Pinkus, a longtime friend of the couple who told The Indianapolis Star about how the pair described the Saturday events.

The Normans are unsure why their son became so enraged that day, Pinkus said. As his anger grew, the Normans were unable to control the 51-year-old.

"John had done everything physically and verbally that he could do prior to the police arriving to try to protect his wife," Pinkus said. "John Norman had been beaten so badly that even though he was also in the kitchen, he was no longer conscious."

Pinkus said the Normans told him from the hospital that they want the public and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to know that they consider the two officers who saved them to be "heroes of the highest order."

"When Kent slumped to the floor after being shot, one of the officers immediately went to Mary Jane, picked her up and carried her into the living room so that she could not see what had taken place," Pinkus said.

The domestic incident between Kent Norman and his parents happened about 4 p.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of Heather Circle. The Normans managed to contact 911 during the assault, and the two IMPD officers were sent to their home near Warren Central High School.

Police encountered the knife-wielding Norman inside, where they ordered him to drop his weapon and let his mother go. Officials said they had to use lethal force to stop him.

When the gunfire ended, Kent Norman was pronounced dead in the home he shared with his parents.

Online court records show that Kent Norman was earlier convicted in Marion County on charges of battery resulting in bodily injury and operating a vehicle while intoxicated in May 2014.

Pinkus and his wife, Julie, have known the Normans for 40 years.

Police said the couple was released from St. Vincent Hospital Monday after sustaining a variety of bruises, cuts and head injuries.

"Their emotional wounds will never completely heal," Pinkus said.

Detectives with IMPD's Critical Incident Response Team continue to investigate the incident, according to an IMPD news release. Internal Affairs officers also have begun a separate administrative investigation.

The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in an officer-involved shooting.

Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.