More than 2,000 attend funeral for fallen Monroe County deputy

FORSYTH -- After hearing that one of his church members had been shot, Culloden Primitive Baptist Church’s Elder Matt Yawn lifted up a series of prayers.

“Lord, it’s not supposed to be like this,” Yawn prayed.

Monroe County Deputy Michael Norris was a man of faith. He had a loving family. He was a 24-year-old newlywed. He loved his job -- it was his ministry and his calling.

Yawn cried out for a miracle, praying like he said he’s never prayed before.

Speaking at Norris’ funeral Friday, Yawn said the deputy was “truly gold.”

Having known Norris and been his pastor since Norris was 9, Yawn said, “He was one of the most sincerest, caring people I’ve ever had the privilege and honor to know. He was a man of compassion. ... He was always ready to help anyone.”

More than 2,000 people attended the funeral, held at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

A steady stream of police officers, deputies, firefighters, community leaders, friends and others started filing into the building more than two hours before the service.

Deputies from Butts and Lamar counties helped respond to emergencies so Norris’ co-workers could attend. Baldwin County deputies also helped relieve deputies in the jail.

Norris was shot Sept. 13 after he and Deputy Jeff Wilson went to a house on Haley Lane, just outside Bolingbroke, to help a man who was reportedly suicidal.

The man, 46-year-old Christopher Keith Calmer, exchanged gunfire with the deputies. Norris was shot in the head and was declared brain dead Sunday. He remained on life support until Monday night so his organs could be donated.

Wilson, who was shot in the leg and buttocks and also took a slug in his bulletproof vest, managed to handcuff Calmer despite his injuries.

Calmer also was shot in the leg. He has been charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and firearms charges.

Wilson arrived at the funeral Friday before other members of the sheriff’s office. A couple hundred people already gathered in the convention hall stood in silence as Wilson, seated in a wheelchair, was pushed to his spot at the front of the room. Once he was settled, the group remained standing, giving the deputy a round of applause.

Photos chronicling Norris’ life were projected onto large screens before the service. The photos showed Norris soon after his birth and him celebrating birthdays, Christmases and graduations. Pictures showed him helping wrangle a horse that had been spotted trotting on Interstate 75 about a week before he was shot.

He posed with his wife, Logan, on their wedding day five months ago.

The filling convention hall again quieted just after 1 p.m. when a video of the funeral procession was projected onto a wall.

Monroe County sheriff’s Sgt. William Jackson opened the service with memories of Norris first reporting to duty in the jail’s booking area in August 2012.

“He had his chest poked out,” Jackson said. “He was honored, and he was proud.”

He described Norris as a funny guy who liked to joke, sing and dance.

After telling fellow deputies that he’d worn the Mary Persons High School bulldog mascot uniform, they drafted him to don a different mascot’s costume -- McGruff, the crime dog.

Even though the costume was hot, Norris didn’t complain.

“He was eager to learn, and he was a team player,” Jackson said, “except on Sundays because Sunday was taco night at (his) mom’s house.”

Jackson described Norris as a man of “dedication, honesty, integrity and respect.”

“We’re glad to have been a part of his life and what he gave to us,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be tough, but we’ll get through it. We don’t have a choice. We still have a mission ahead of us,” he said.

Later in the day, when the graveside service began about 5:10 p.m., a trio of bagpipers from the state patrol and sheriff’s departments in Cobb and Pickens counties played “Flowers of the Forest,” a Scottish folk song.

Looking on, standing at attention in a churchyard cemetery, was a throng of uniformed law enforcement officers that no doubt approached 1,000 strong.

In prayer, Yawn told those gathered, “We thank you for Michael. ... He had a life of significance.

“I cannot put into words and articulate the pain that’s in our hearts and how much we’ll miss him,” Yawn said.

Speaking to the Norris family seated beneath a funeral home tent, Yawn said, “I know he loved all of you. ... He was always so happy.”

From the tree line at the graveyard’s edge came a 21-gun salute. Then “Taps.”

Three helicopters roared overhead in formation, one peeling off to the north.

On the county sheriff’s radio, a dispatcher spoke.

Three times she spoke his call sign, “Monroe County 258.”

His final call.

It brought tears.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398. To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-4397.

This story was originally published September 19, 2014 at 3:51 PM with the headline "More than 2,000 attend funeral for fallen Monroe County deputy."