An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter responding to a call to assist law enforcement with an active shooter situation has crashed, killing the pilot and a police officer who was a paramedic on the flight, authorities said.
A Ranger helicopter crew responded to assist the Flagstaff Police Department and other law enforcement agencies Wednesday night, the department’s Sergeant Kameron Lee said in a statement.
“Tragically, during the incident, the helicopter crashed, killing both the pilot and the police paramedic who were on board,” said Lee.
The names of the pilot and the police officer have not yet been released.
#Arizona DPS #HelicopterCrash (Ranger 56, N562AZ) crashed near Flagstaff Wednesday night amid an officer involved shooting and armed suspect standoff in the Railroad Springs area. Video shows it spinning out of control. Suspect taken into custody; no ground officer injuries reported pic.twitter.com/xyeVAoi3R6
— Thepagetoday (@thepagetoday) February 5, 2026
A Bell 407 helicopter crashed near Flagstaff at around 10:15 p.m., followed by a fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. A search of the registration number revealed that the helicopter was manufactured in 2004.
KTVK-TV showed a map showing the crash occurred northeast of the shooting scene.
The FAA said it would assist the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its investigation of the accident. An email requesting information was sent to the NTSB early Thursday.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Air Rescue Unit is trained in a variety of high-risk situations, including mountain and water rescues.
The suspect in the shooting suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken into police custody, Lee said. No one else was hurt.
(Vijesti.ba)
