Arizona DPS Helicopter Crashes in Active Shooter Response, Killing 2

Two people died Wednesday evening when an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter crashed near Flagstaff, Arizona, as it responded to an active shooter incident involving local police officers.

The helicopter, carrying a pilot and a paramedic trooper, went down in a neighborhood north of Historic Route 66, between South Thompson Street and North Mark Lane, around 10 p.m. Authorities confirmed the two on board were the only occupants and perished in the crash. Their identities have not been released. The incident unfolded amid a police response to reports of gunfire in the Railroad Springs area, where officers exchanged shots with a suspect shortly before the helicopter's deployment.

According to local resident Amanda Brewer, the evening began with three gunshots around 8:40 p.m., followed by two more, prompting her to call emergency services. Officers arrived within minutes, and she later heard between 15 and 20 additional shots. As the helicopter flew overhead, Brewer recalled hearing its blades before a loud crash shook her home. "It was startling," she said. A fire erupted in the woods behind her property, and gunfire continued even after the aircraft went down.