ICE Firearms Trainer’s History of Lethal Force Sparks Debate Over Paramilitary Training Standards
Critics argue that deploying special-forces-grade tactics for civil immigration enforcement and crowd control poses significant risks, following controversies over protester deaths.
David S. Norman, founder of law enforcement training firm TruKinetics LLC and a former Phoenix Police officer, testified in a 2021 deposition that he was involved in at least four lethal shootings during his police career. Norman’s company held a government contract to provide mandatory 40-hour firearms training to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Special Response Teams (SRT) for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at Fort Benning, Georgia. The report raises concerns regarding the training of paramilitary units now deployed for civil immigration enforcement and crowd control, following controversies over the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Norman served on Phoenix PD’s Special Assignments Unit, where he was involved in six shootings resulting in four deaths and two injuries. While his supervisors praised his performance and the shootings were deemed policy-compliant, Norman received reprimands for unrelated incidents. The report raises concerns regarding the training of paramilitary units now used for civil immigration enforcement and crowd control, following controversies over the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
TruKinetics received $27,748 for a year-long contract to run the mandatory training course at Fort Benning. At least 700 SRT agents from Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division, and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Office units pass through Fort Benning for annual training. Norman stated that his company conducted sessions with the Special Response Team from Arizona’s Homeland Security Investigations office, describing them as “top dudes.”
A 2024 US Department of Justice report found a “pattern or practice” of violent, unconstitutional policing by Phoenix PD, including unjustified lethal force and broken use-of-force training, though these findings were retracted by the Trump administration in May 2025. The report highlighted that Phoenix PD’s use-of-force training regimen was so broken that it taught officers that “all force—even deadly force—is de-escalation.”
Former ICE acting director John Sandweg and academic Peter Kraska have criticised the deployment of SRTs for civil immigration violations and crowd control, describing it as a “recipe for disaster” and unprofessional use of special-forces-grade tactics. High-profile administration figures, including former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, were removed from their positions amid backlash over the killings of Good and Pretti.
ICE’s website states there are at least 22 SRTs for Homeland Security Investigations as of fall 2024, with operators undergoing intensive selection and training at Fort Benning. Each SRT has 16 to 18 “operators” who all went through a three-week training course at Fort Benning in Georgia similar to the one that TruKinetics ran.
