FBI investigates SHOOTING at US Air Force helicopter that caused emergency landing in Virginia

[dufus]

A US Air Force 1st Helicopter Squadron Bell UH-1N Huey (August 7, 2016 file photo) ©  Flickr/John Sonderman

 

Federal agents are looking into who opened fire on a US Air Force helicopter, injuring one crew member and forcing it to make an emergency landing at an airport in Virginia during a training mission.

 

The crew member was hurt when the UH-1N Huey helicopter was struck by a bullet on Monday, Joint Base Andrews said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. The helicopter interrupted the routine training flight to land at the Manassas Airport, not far from Washington, DC. 

 

USAF says the injured airman was taken to the hospital and treated for a “non-threatening” injury. He or she has since been released. 

 

FBI special agents and an Evidence Response Team were sent to the airport, after reports that the helicopter was struck by gunfire from the ground.

 

The Air Force's initial investigation indicates that the helicopter was struck by a bullet at an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 meters), approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the Manassas airport.

 

Later on Monday, an individual was shot by Secret Service agents outside the White House security perimeter, after reportedly threatening to attack them. The shooting briefly interrupted President Donald Trump’s press conference.

 

No further details were released about the incident or the training flight. The stricken helicopter is assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, home to the Air Force One presidential aircraft. Helicopters are often used to get presidents from the White House to the base, or to the Camp David retreat in eastern Maryland. 

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