How often does this really happen?
A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department helicopter that crashed into the backyard of a home in northwest Albuquerque last weekend was brought down by gunfire, and now authorities are searching for suspects.
Sheriff Darren White said late Tuesday it was determined through physical evidence and statements made by the pilot and deputy on board that Metro One was shot. He said authorities have no suspects yet but are working with the FBI.
I’m certain we’ll hear of other similar incidents around the country; but, local thugs shooting down police helicopters doesn’t seem to happen, every week.
The case took a disturbing turn Monday when investigators began putting the pieces of the helicopter back together in an effort to determine why it crashed.
“They noticed what appeared to be a small hole in the windshield of the cockpit,” White said in a statement. “Deputies also located several items that are consistent with a bullet that has fragmented upon impact.”
The sheriff said the pilot and deputy were assisting deputies on the ground who were investigating a burglary call when the chopper lost power. The pilot told White he heard a pop and then felt the helicopter pitch and then shut down.
The helicopter tore down some trees and a fence on its way down. It landed about 15 feet from the back wall of a house. The aircraft was destroyed.
A check of the websites of regional daily newspapers and local TV stations couldn’t turn up one that actually covered this story on their own. Every one printed a variation of the Associated Press story.
Wire services have a role. Local daily news sources don’t have staff capable of covering stories around the nation, much less the world. But, when a story happens in your own backyard, have editors and publishers become so cheap or conditioned to waiting for pre-packaged “news” — that they can’t send someone out the door to report back?
Or don’t they consider local reporting important enough to put up on their website?
[Update] — As the story continues to grow, one of the Albuquerque papers assigned a reporter to cover it. And they posted that story on their website a few hours after this post.
Hey – its not like its something important, like Britney Spears et al.
They probably were informed by the FBI and local police to not report. Sounds like conspiracy to me.
It seems you have forgotten that the internet doesn’t do the reporting itself and immediatly. If you want someone to leave their desk and do the reporting, it will take a few hours before it reaches the internet.