FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — A pilot and paramedic have died after a law enforcement helicopter crashed Wednesday night near the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Flagstaff.
The tragic incident began with an officer-involved shooting in an area north of Historic Route 66 between Thomson Street and Mark Lane.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) said its Ranger Helicopter crew was called to help Flagstaff Police and other law enforcement with the active shooter incident and acted as air support.
During the response, the DPS helicopter crashed, killing the pilot and the trooper-paramedic who were on board. DPS has not released their identities, and no information is available on what led to the crash.
The suspect in the officer-involved shooting incident was shot, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries, and taken into custody. That person’s identity has also not been released.
No one else was hurt in this response, DPS said.
Amanda Brewer, who lives in the area, said she heard three gunshots followed by two gunshots around 8:40 p.m. and then called 911. She said officers on the ground arrived within minutes.
She said she then heard between 15 and 20 gunshots.
Brewer said she could hear the DPS helicopter above her house just after 10 p.m. and more gunshots after that.
“You could hear the blades going,” she said. “Then there was a very large crash; it shook the house. It was startling.”
Brewer said there was quite a big fire in the forest behind her house. She added that she heard more gunshots after the crash.
Authorities asked people to avoid the area.
The Major Incident Division of DPS will take over an investigation into the officer-involved shooting. DPS said it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the helicopter crash.
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