An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter crashed in Flagstaff during a police response to a multi-hour shootout, killing the pilot and a trooper on board, authorities said. Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly said the violence began after officers responded to a domestic violence call around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and that the suspect opened fire from the back of a residence with a semiautomatic long rifle.
Connolly said the gunbattle stretched for nearly two hours, during which the suspect moved through the neighborhood while firing on officers. He said the suspect was “hopping from roof to roof” and described the area as “under siege,” with shots directed at officers and into homes. Connolly said officers ultimately took the suspect into custody at about 10:20 p.m., around the time the helicopter crash occurred.
In addition to providing aerial views to officers on the ground, Connolly said the helicopter was operating as part of the public safety response. He did not provide details about what caused the helicopter to crash during the news conference. The suspect suffered nonfatal gunshot wounds and was being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center, officials said.
The trooper who died was also described as a paramedic, but his name was not immediately released. A statement from Kingman city officials identified the pilot as Robert Skanky; city officials said Skanky was a longtime resident of Kingman and that he had been hired by the state in May 2021. Officials said Skanky previously served 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and a Fraternal Order of Police organization in Arizona said the pilot had that military background.
State and federal aviation investigators began work after the crash, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Bell 407 crashed on Flagstaff’s west side a few miles from Route 66 and that there was a fire afterward; the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating. The NTSB said four investigators were headed to the scene, and railroad officials said the crash occurred about 50 feet (15 meters) from a BNSF Railway line and debris spread across the tracks.
Bystanders described hearing heavy gunfire and responding to official alerts. A resident, Amanda Brewer, said she heard close to 100 gunshots starting around 8:40 p.m., and that her family used cameras at their home while staying inside. Another resident, Jasmin Parra, said police told her family to stay inside, lock doors and windows, and not answer if anyone knocked, while police tried to talk the suspect down from a rooftop.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett, along with members of the state’s congressional delegation, expressed condolences to the families of the pilot and trooper, according to officials cited by the Associated Press. Michael Hunt, president of Arizona Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 32, said the “paramedic, and the pilot, a military veteran, made the ultimate sacrifice while supporting the mission” and called the deaths a “devastating moment.”
The crash happened as questions remained about the suspect’s actions and the helicopter’s fate. Registration records show the Bell 407 was built in 2004, and the state Department of Public Safety’s Air Rescue Unit is trained for high-risk situations including mountain and water rescues, officials said.
This article has been corrected to reflect that the last name of the deceased pilot is Skanky, not Skansky.