Hastings family sending message about fentanyl after death of son

HASTINGS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Hastings couple says there is a growing fentanyl crisis in their community.

A month into the pandemic they lost their 19-year-old son – who was an athlete, honor student and musician – to an accidental overdose.

According to his family, whether he was playing football, skateboarding or making music, Devin Norring always strived to be the best at what he did.

A Hastings couple says there is a growing fentanyl crisis in their community after the loss of their son. 

Now two years since his death his family still can't believe he is gone.

"It’s like reliving day one over and over every day – the pain is still there," Bridgette Norring told FOX 9. "The agony is still there – the heartbreak, the loss."

Both Bridgette and Tom Norring say in April of 2020, their son suffered from blackout migraines and dental pain, but medical appointments to remedy them had been cancelled because of COVID-19.

They say Devin and a friend bought what they thought was Percoset from a drug dealer on Snapchat.

But after taking it, his younger brother found him unresponsive in his bed the next morning.

"It’s like a hole in your heart. There's no way to fill that void," said Tom Norring. "You can try to fill it up with memories of good times, but it never goes away. It's always there."

The Norrings say the pill Devin took turned out to be 100 percent fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine, and is commonly added to other drugs and sold under different names.

Now they have made it their mission to warn other families about counterfeit pills and push for stronger penalties for dealers.

Bridgette and Tom Norring

"It’s a gamble. It’s like playing Russian roulette every time you take any nonprescription pill," Tom said.

They have since dedicated a memorial bench to Devin by the river in the park where he used to ride his bike, camp and fish.

Next week Bridgette will share their story at the first of a three session series on the fentanyl crisis sponsored by the United Way of Hastings, so no other family has go through what they have.