Support the Ranger 56 Families
Help Ease the Burden and Show Your Support
We have closed donations at this time. Thank you to everyone that helped the Ranger 56 families. We couldn’t have done any of the things we did without your support!
Your Generosity Matters
Col. Jeffrey Glover, director of DPS, โLate yesterday evening at approximately 10:17 p.m., an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter was involved in an accident near Flagstaff below the Lowell Observatory,โ Glover said. โThe helicopter and crew known as Ranger 56, part of Western Air Rescue in Kingman, were responding to a call for service to assist the Flagstaff Police Department in an active-shooter incident. At the time of the incident, there were two DPS personnel on board: a pilot, and a trooper-paramedic. Unfortunately, both are tragically deceased.โ
Glover continued: โOur immediate priority is the safety, care and well-being of our personnel. We are working closely with our state, local and federal public safety partners and aviation authorities, including the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board], as they respond to and assess the situation for us. Out of respect for those involved and to ensure accurate information, we will not be releasing additional details about the deceased at this time.โ
โPlease keep our personnel, their families and all those that have been impacted in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,โ Glover concluded. โWe want to express our deep gratitude and thanks to the Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriffโs Office for their support during this tragedy.โ
Chief Sean Connolly of the Flagstaff Police Department, โNowhere in this state does a university police department, a county sheriffโs office, a municipal city department and a state patrol have to work so intimately together to provide public safety,โ Connolly said. โLast night was another incredible example that was blended with very impactful tragedy.โ
โI think sometimes even in our darkest moments we still see amazing acts of strength and kindness and collaboration, thoughtfulness, and weโre just so grateful for the partners that you see up here today,โ the chief added.
Connolly explained the police operation leading to the call for assistance from DPS.
Around 8:30 p.m., officers responding to a domestic violence call made contact with the victim — who was uninjured — in the front yard of a house on Shellie Drive. While officers were speaking to that individual, the suspect emerged from the back of the house and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle.
FPD officers placed themselves between the shooter and the woman who had called police and were able to move her to safety, Connolly said. But the subsequent attempt to detain the suspect stretched for two hours, as officers traded gunfire with the shooter.
According to Connolly, โdozens and dozens of roundsโ were fired during that time. He described the suspect as โhopping from roof to roof, taking points of vantage from high groundโ and firing upon officers and into nearby homes.
โDuring these gun battles, Iโm grateful — beyond grateful — to say that none of our officers were struck or wounded by gunfire,โ Connolly said.
Three FPD officers — with three to eight yearsโ experience in the department — fired weapons during the incident. One DPS trooper, with three and a half years on the force, also fired a weapon.
The FPD officers are on administrative leave, following standard procedure, Connolly said, and are also on a 30-day โwellness investigative protocol.โ
The suspect was finally detained at approximately 10:20 p.m. and transported to the Flagstaff Medical Center.
