After fentanyl kills daughter, police officer shares heartbreaking story to save lives

Publish date: 2024-06-06

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — On Facebook and Instagram, he's amassed more than 3 million followers. He's been recognized for his positive community policing efforts and for helping children and families in need in Arkansas. Now, North Little Rock police officer Tommy Norman is using his platform to spread awareness about addiction and using his personal tragedy to save lives.

Wearing his daughter’s favorite color purple and sitting in front of a purple wall, Norman recalled his daughter’s childhood.

“Alyssa Norman was a daddy's girl,” he explained. "If you met Alyssa, the first 5 minutes, you would know how special she was."

But being a police officer and a dad has its challenges. Norman admits his relationship with Alyssa was strained over the years, and at times, it centered around his daughter's battle with drugs.

In the beginning it was pills, you know, then she would work her way up," he said.

But in 2021, at the age of 25, Alyssa’s struggle led her to the Harbor Home where she began a path to recovery and where she penned a letter to her father hoping to reconnect.

Holding back tears, Norman read a portion of that letter.

I remember when I used to come crawl in bed with you every night to snuggle with my daddy, he said.

Not long after getting that letter, Norman showed up at the Harbor Home to surprise Alyssa.

"Those daddy-daughter relationships really can't compare to any other and so we had a lot of fun the last several months," Norman said. "We made up for a lot of time that we had missed."

Alyssa had recently been baptized and Norman said she was a woman of strong faith. She had become a realtor and was focused on family, including her 3-year-old son.

"She loved working,” Norman said. "She wanted to be better at life in general, but I was always concerned in the back of my mind there would come a day where she had a weak moment and she might give in and unfortunately that's what happened."

He said one day, he got a text from his daughter. That was the last time he heard from her.

Alyssa texted me, ‘Daddy I just got off work I love you.' I told her I loved her, too," he said. "She knew her dad went to bed early and woke up early and so the next morning I was waiting on either a text message or a phone call and the phone call I received was from the Harbor Home in Conway where Alyssa was living that she had overdosed, so my response was where is she? I want to come see my daughter and the answer that I received is ‘Alyssa’s not here’.

The powerful drug fentanyl killed Alyssa on Nov. 17.

"You know, it's difficult, not just for me, but for Alyssa’s entire family and this community, but I’m gonna fight each day and some days aren't easy but I’m gonna fight each day for Alyssa and her legacy," Norman said. "Almost every day when I’m working I hear on the radio an overdose, unresponsive person that we're dispatched to and it's, you know, it takes on a whole new meaning for me now."

Officer Norman wants families to talk about addiction. He's shared Alyssa’s life and death with his millions of followers on social media. The hashtag #DoItfForAlyssa went viral. He's received thousands of tributes in purple and prayers from all over the world.

"I know she's smiling really big,” Norman said. “I know that she is so happy that because of her story and the powerful impact that she left, that it’s truly changing other people's lives and most specifically addicts - addicts that have reached out to me that have shared their stories that they want to change their life, that they want to get help all because of Alyssa."

He said if he could tell his daughter one more thing it would be this.

"She would always say, ‘Daddy, I got this.’ But if Alyssa’s watching now, I would say 'Alyssa, I got this.'"

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7wJ2bopukmrGiucSroJyZX5aztbHRZp2epqSWu7q4jKSgpaSjYrGiwcahq56qXaW8rbXCnmSonpaesKa%2BjKyfmqqVqHqpscCrq5uqlZa4qrrGZqqtp6KuerW7jKyYr51doba3sdJmpq%2Bdopm8tLGMmqmkmZ6orrR5zaipraBdoba1wMueZKunk6B6tbvMprBmpp%2BnuqK6jJ2moqyWpL%2BiuNisqpplkZmxqq%2FTZpidnJmptrC6jKGcq6eZo3qusdOhZKmhnKHAbrvDZqWaqpOWu26vzpyYoqaVYrCzrcKkZJ2qpZzAbrTAq5moql2dvK6xjJymp6%2BRrnqlrcNmm5qclK56pa3UoJ%2BtnaI%3D