Search fatalities

Matthew Deandre Norwood

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 07/21/2023

Location : Interstate 565 at Jordan Lane

City : Huntsville

County : Limestone

State : Alabama

Agency : Gurley Police Department; Hollywood Police Department; Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Christopher J. Whalen

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed when police officer crashed into his vehicle during high-speed police chase

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

.
REASON FOR CHASE: Traffic violation
.
NARRATIVE:
On 07/21/2023, 22-year-old Matthew DeAndre’ Norwood was driving a 2008 Toyota Corolla near Interstate 565 and Jordan Lane in Huntsville when an on-duty Gurley Police Department officer, Christopher J. Whalen, crashed his assigned 2018 Ford Explorer patrol vehicle into Norwood's car during a high-speed police chase. Norwood was not involved in the pursuit. He was transported to Huntsville Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
.
The chase began more than 40 miles away in Hollywood, Alabama, after police began pursuing a juvenile driving a Nissan over a traffic violation. Hollywood Police and Jackson County deputies pursued the vehicle toward Madison County. Authorities later said those agencies discontinued their pursuit, while Whalen joined the chase as it reached Gurley and continued pursuing the vehicle toward Huntsville.
.
Police radio traffic showed speeds during the chase reached approximately 128 to 130 mph. The pursuit continued into Huntsville before Whalen crashed into Norwood's vehicle at Jordan Lane. The fleeing vehicle was not struck and was not directly involved in the fatal collision. Norwood was an uninvolved motorist and therefore a bystander, not a passenger in the fleeing vehicle.
.
Whalen, then 31, was injured and hospitalized. Records later obtained by WAFF showed that he had been a certified police officer for only about 15 months and had worked for Gurley Police for approximately 11 months when he killed Norwood. He was placed on paid administrative leave after the crash. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigated and turned its findings over to the Madison County District Attorney's Office in November 2023.
.
Whalen resigned from the Gurley Police Department in late December 2023 before the town completed its internal investigation. WAFF subsequently obtained records showing that Gurley Police Chief Shane Washburn, who was conducting the internal investigation, sent supportive text messages to Whalen after the fatal crash.
.
A Madison County grand jury indicted Whalen on 08/30/2024 for manslaughter in Norwood's death. He was later arrested and released on a $25,000 bond. His criminal case remained pending for nearly two years, with his trial eventually scheduled to begin August 31, 2026.
.
On 08/27/2026, four days before the scheduled trial, Whalen pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, a Class A misdemeanor, under an agreement that reduced the original Class B felony manslaughter charge. Whalen admitted criminal responsibility for Norwood's death. He received two years of state probation and no immediate jail time. If he violates probation, he faces one year in jail. The judge also ordered Whalen to surrender his Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission certification, permanently preventing him from working as a police officer in Alabama.
.
Norwood's mother, Ekandrea Norwood, addressed the court while holding a photograph of her son. She said the sentence was a "slap in the face" because Whalen could continue his life while her son could not. Whalen's attorney said Whalen was extremely sorry for Norwood's death, but Norwood's mother said Whalen had never personally apologized to the family, including during the plea hearing.
.
The Madison County District Attorney's Office disclosed in 2026 that the juvenile whose traffic violation initiated the chase was eventually arrested, although authorities did not disclose what charges were filed against the juvenile.
.
Norwood was born 09/08/2000 in Huntsville to David Terrence and Ekandrea Delaine Norwood. He graduated from Sparkman High School in 2020 and was involved in music, dance and content creation. His funeral was held July 29, 2023, at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Toney.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Christopher J. Whalen received his Alabama police certification in April 2022 and joined the Gurley Police Department in August 2022. He had been certified for just over a year when he killed Norwood. Whalen remained on paid administrative leave following the crash and resigned in December 2023 before Gurley's internal investigation was completed. He was indicted for manslaughter in 2024 and pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide on 08/27/2026. His sentence was two years of probation, with one year in jail if he violates probation, and the court ordered the loss of his Alabama law-enforcement certification.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.cbs42.com/alabama-news/bystander-dies-after-north-alabama-police-chase-ends-in-wreck/
https://www.al.com/news/2023/07/man-killed-in-huntsville-crash-gurley-police-officer-involved-in-chase-of-another-car-also-injured.html
https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/bystander-dies-after-police-chase-ends-in-wreck/
https://www.waff.com/2023/07/24/unanswered-questions-loom-after-police-pursuit-leaves-one-man-dead-gurley-officer-hospitalized/
https://www.waff.com/2023/07/27/unanswered-questions-still-surround-fatal-wreck-involving-bystander-gurley-police-officer/
https://www.waff.com/2023/08/24/records-show-gurley-police-officer-who-hit-killed-motorist-was-certified-just-over-one-year/
https://www.waff.com/2023/10/25/gurley-police-officer-remains-paid-leave-months-after-crash-that-killed-bystander/
https://www.waff.com/2023/11/17/findings-investigation-into-death-innocent-driver-turned-over-madison-county-district-attorney/
https://www.waff.com/2024/01/03/gurley-police-officer-connected-crash-that-killed-innocent-driver-resigns/
https://www.waff.com/2024/10/25/ex-gurley-officer-indicted-manslaughter-charge-connection-pursuit-wreck/
https://www.waff.com/2026/08/27/former-gurley-cop-pleads-guilty-criminally-negligent-homicide-after-killing-man-2023-car-chase/
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/matthew-norwood-obituary?id=52528581