Crime & Safety
2 Virginia State Troopers Killed In Helicopter Crash
The crash involved a state police helicopter that was helping monitor the situation in Charlottesville.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Two Virginia State Police troopers who were helping monitor Saturday's events in Charlottesville were killed Saturday when their helicopter crashed in the woods, state police said in a press release.
"The Bell 407 helicopter was assisting public safety resources with the ongoing situation in Charlottesville," police said in a statement.
The helicopter crashed around 4:50 p.m., the FAA said. The pilot, Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, Virginia, and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates of Quinton, Virginia, both died at the scene.
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Police said no one on the ground was injured. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
No foul play was suspected in the crash, police said.
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“Our state police and law enforcement family at-large are mourning this tragic outcome to an already challenging day,” Virginia State Police Superintendent, Colonel W. Steven Flaherty. said in a statement. “Lieutenant Cullen was a highly-respected professional aviator and Trooper-Pilot Bates was a welcome addition to the Aviation Unit, after a distinguished assignment as a special agent with our Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Their deaths are a tremendous loss to our agency and the Commonwealth.”
Cullen graduated from the state police academy in May 1994 and joined the department's aviation unit in 1999. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Bates died a day before his 41st birthday. He graduated from the police academy in 2004 and had only transfered to the aviation unit in July. He is survived by his wife and two children, a son and a daughter.
President Donald Trump offered condolences to the families of the troopers and to the fellow officers of the department.
Deepest condolences to the families & fellow officers of the VA State Police who died today. You're all among the best this nation produces.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2017
The crash came at the end of a tense day in Charlottesville where one person was killed after a car plowed into a group of protesters. Violence and clashes were ongoing throughout the day due to a planned white nationalist rally in the city.
Pictured left: Trooper Cullen, Pictured right: Trooper Bates
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