Bellaire police officer, bystander killed in shooting

Steven Hester, 18, places flowers at a memorial for slain police officer Jimmie Norman on Monday outside the Bellaire Police and Courts Building. Hester is joined by his sister Jess, right, and mother, Linda. Steven Hester, 18, places flowers at a memorial for slain police officer Jimmie Norman on Monday outside the Bellaire Police and Courts Building. Hester is joined by his sister Jess, right, and mother, Linda. Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Bellaire police officer, bystander killed in shooting 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

As most of Houston focused on the happy details of an unseasonably warm Christmas Eve, the families of Jimmie Norman and Terry Taylor were stunned by the fallout from a routine traffic stop that became a deadly confrontation Monday morning.

Both were shot to death in a southwest Houston parking lot for reasons that no one pretends to understand.

Norman, a corporal with the Bellaire Police Department and a 24-year law enforcement veteran, was mortally wounded following a brief struggle with a young man who had sped away when Norman pulled him over for a traffic violation. Seconds later, Taylor, the owner of a Maaco body shop, was shot by the same suspect when he emerged from the shop to see what the commotion was about.

See photos of Cpl. Jimmie Norman and the crime scene

The 21-year-old suspect, Harlem Harold Lewis, was shot during a gunfight with other Bellaire officers at the scene. Police say he ran away but a trail of blood led to his nearby hiding spot beneath a truck, where he was arrested and taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital. He was charged with capital murder of a police officer and was listed in critical but stable condition and is expected to survive his wounds. A .380-caliber pistol, the suspected murder weapon, was recovered nearby, police said.

Activist Quanell X said he knows Lewis' family well because they attend the same mosque. He watched Lewis grow up in a strict household and said he was stunned by Monday's events.

"This is not a kid that grew up in a broken home," Quanell X said. "He had a faithful Muslim mother and father. He was raised in a good community. This is outside the imagination of anybody who knows this young boy."

He added: "The No. 1 question we all keep asking is, 'Why?' "

It is a question many will be asking as they sift through the flurry of events that started as a potentially minor infraction.

Jarred by loud noise

Bellaire resident Chris Hokanson was eating breakfast when he heard a bang outside his house on Jessamine. He ran outside to see a Bellaire police cruiser chasing a black Honda coupe and a white pickup truck. He also saw a bumper lying in the street and the rear bumper of his own Saturn smashed.

Hokanson wasn't sure what was going on. Neither was Stephanie Pacheco, who was working at an auto parts store around the corner when she heard something happening. She looked out to see a Honda pull into the parking lot that serves Maaco and other businesses, followed quickly by a Ford F-150 pickup truck, which blocked the exit path of the Honda. A Bellaire police car pulled in right after them.

Norman got out of his vehicle and approached the Honda, trying to get the driver to get out of the car. Then Pacheco saw him leaning in to the car, "tussling" with the driver.

Seconds later, Norman was shot. He never had time to draw his own weapon. When Taylor showed up, he, too, was shot. Bellaire police said Taylor may have been coming to Norman's assistance when he was killed.

The tragedy unfolded in just a few minutes. Police said the suspect's Honda collided with the Ford pickup while fleeing Norman. The driver of the F-150 tried to force the Honda driver to a stop, and when he failed, he gave chase. They turned onto Bellaire Boulevard, and the suspect drove a short distance before turning into the Maaco parking lot.

To Hokanson and Pacheco, the gunshots seemed to go on and on. When they stopped, Norman and Taylor lay on the pavement. Norman was pronounced dead at Ben Taub General Hospital. Taylor died at the scene.

Officer of the year

Norman had twice been honored as Bellaire's officer of the year. He received numerous awards for his police work.

Norman also was involved in charity work and coached the police flag football team, which played a team from the Bellaire Fire Department in a game to raise money for families in need at Christmas.

"Jimmie was a nice guy, really sort of a big teddy bear," said Assistant Fire Chief Alton Moses, who coached against him and later with him in the football games. "He always seemed pretty quiet, and like most of us, he was there to do his job and do it the right way. This morning was really tough."

Bellaire Police Chief Bryon Holloway said the department considered Norman part of its family.

"We have dispatchers taking calls with tears in their eyes," Holloway said. "We have officers responding to other people's problems, and they're setting this aside, but everyone is hurting."

Holloway said Norman was the first Bellaire officer to be killed in the line of duty. The chief also recognized Taylor, saying that the second victim may have been coming to the aid of Norman when he was shot.

Holloway said Norman worked as a detective, a patrol officer and an investigator in the organized crime division.

On Monday, Norman was working as a patrol supervisor and had been at work about two hours when the shooting broke out. Holloway said another officer had volunteered to work Norman's Christmas Day shift so he could be with his family.

City honors officer

Bellaire City Manager Bernie Satterwhite read a statement from Mayor Phil Nauert and the City Council that read, in part: "We owe a great debt of thanks to officer Norman and the thousands like him who ask for not much more than to be a good police officer and to come home safe."

Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland arrived at Ben Taub in a black suit and spent about an hour speaking with the Bellaire officer's family.

"I just wanted to meet with the family and pay my respects to his wife and kids," McClelland said.

"This should be a joyous time," he said, pausing. "Christmas will have a different meaning for this family."

Reporters Jayme Fraser, Dane Schiller and Robert Stanton and photographer Johnny Hanson contributed.