Helicopter Assigned To Move President Trump, Top Officials, Shot At, Injuries Reported
A military helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in Virginia after taking gunfire from the ground.
The incident happened on Monday and was first reported on Wednesday. One crew member was injured, which prompted an immediate investigation by the FBI, US News reported.
The UH-1N Huey helicopter, assigned to Joint Base Andrews just outside of Washington, D.C., was conducting a routine training flight roughly 1,000 feet above the ground before it was forced to make an emergency landing at an airport in nearby Manassas, Virginia, after being struck by a bullet, an Air Force spokesperson tells U.S. News. The helicopter is assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron, which supports the movement of the president and other senior government officials to and from Andrews, where Air Force One is also based.
The FBI dispatched special agents and its Evidence Response Team to the airport after receiving reports about the shooting, its Washington Field Office said in a statement provided to U.S. News. It is currently conducting a joint investigation with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and local law enforcement agencies.
“A UH-1N Huey helicopter assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews conducted an emergency landing at 12:43 pm on August 10th in Manassas, Va during a routine training mission,” the Air Force said, CNN reported.
“The Office of Special Investigations is fully engaged with our FBI colleagues on this incident. OSI take threats to our Airmen and our resources very seriously. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further investigative details can be released at this time,” it said.
“The FBI Washington Field Office is working jointly with our law enforcement partners, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. One individual in the helicopter sustained a non-threatening injury, for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital,” it said.
The FBI asked that “anyone near this area at the time of the incident who may have information please call the FBI at 202-278-2000.”
Joint Base Andrews, which house the helicopter and is home to Air Force One, said it did not have any further details.
“The Office of Special Investigations is fully engaged with our FBI colleagues on this incident. OSI take threats to our Airmen and our resources very seriously. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further investigative details can be released at this time,” it said.
