GeorgeMandes
22nd Oct 2010, 04:02
Shooter wings helicopter (http://dailyme.com/story/2010102100002202/shooter-wings-helicopter.html)
Oct. 21--A suspect is said to have been identified, the pilot and helicopter are flying again and, after a backwoods shooting incident near Clarkia in Shoshone County, authorities are saying very little.
Meanwhile, Gale Wilson, owner of Hillcrest Aircraft Company Inc., in Lewiston, had a lot to say Wednesday about one of his helicopters being riddled with bullets and then safely landing with Vietnam War veteran Earl Palmer at the controls.
"... On Oct. 14th, about two miles north of Clarkia, one of our helicopters was shot at four times. And we took two hits," Wilson said. "It was a high-powered rifle. It was a hunting rifle. The guy who's been charged with this was out hunting. What his motives were, I don't know."
But no charges have been filed at this point.
"A suspect has been identified and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with our agency to determine the appropriate charges," Shoshone County Undersheriff Rod Plank wrote in a new release issued Wednesday afternoon. "There is no suspect in jail and no charges have been filed at this time.
"We are not releasing the suspect's name until the investigation is complete and a decision on charges has been made," Plank wrote.
Wilson said his company, which has a fleet of 12 helicopters, was working under contract through Northwest Management of Moscow to do heli-torch work on Potlatch Corp. land. Palmer was flying over and around a broadcast burn area when the shots were fired.
FBI spokesman Don Robinson, of Coeur d'Alene, confirmed his agency is aware of the incident. "We're waiting to hear back from the U.S. attorney's office whether they're going to assume prosecution of the case or they're going to let Shoshone County prosecute it," Robinson said. "It's one of those things where there's a state charge and there's also a federal statute, so prosecutors are going to work it out to see what is a more appropriate venue to take that case."
A spokeswoman at the Shoshone County prosecutor's office said they have not received any reports on the incident.
"The incident remains under investigation and charges will be filed by the appropriate agency in the coming days," Plank wrote. "No further details will be released until that time."
Palmer, who is flying this week in Oregon, said by cellphone he wasn't sure what was happening when he heard the first two bullets narrowly miss the helicopter. But a third bullet passed through the cowling within about two or three feet of his head.
"The first one I didn't recognize as a bullet," Palmer said, recalling a "snap" he heard. He made another pass with the helicopter and heard the snapping sound a second time. "I still didn't identify it as somebody shooting at me. But almost immediately after that, I heard a loud one," Palmer said. "And that one, the way it passed through the helicopter, went right over my head."
A fourth shot was fired and Palmer said he thought to himself, "I'm getting out of here."
Wilson said one of the bullets struck and cracked a control tube. "It was within minutes of coming apart," he said, "at which point the helicopter would have wrecked."
According to the sheriff's office press release, other people on the ground also heard four shots. Palmer said he did not see a shooter. But Wilson said there were reports of an eyewitness who apparently talked with authorities and someone was detained the next night.
"We were really happy with the response of the sheriff's department," Wilson said. "We thought they did an excellent job."
Palmer, 69, flew helicopters, including gunships, in Vietnam. "I didn't get shot up a lot over there. I got shot down once," he said. "I took one bullet through the engine, so we ended up in a rice paddy."
The Hillcrest helicopter, a Bell Jet Ranger, was repaired, flown back to Lewiston for a complete overhaul and inspection before being put back to work. Wilson said he understands how hunters and other recreationists can get irritated when one of his helicopters is flying overhead throughout the day. "However, there's no justification to take out a high caliber rifle and try to shoot us down."
Robinson said the FBI (http://dailyme.com/organization/federal-bureau-of-investigation.html) takes such incidents very seriously, but is in a waiting mode at this point. "We don't have an ongoing threat out there is why we're taking the posture of letting the prosecutors work it out," he said. "But if we had an active shooter out there, we'd be all over it."
Oct. 21--A suspect is said to have been identified, the pilot and helicopter are flying again and, after a backwoods shooting incident near Clarkia in Shoshone County, authorities are saying very little.
Meanwhile, Gale Wilson, owner of Hillcrest Aircraft Company Inc., in Lewiston, had a lot to say Wednesday about one of his helicopters being riddled with bullets and then safely landing with Vietnam War veteran Earl Palmer at the controls.
"... On Oct. 14th, about two miles north of Clarkia, one of our helicopters was shot at four times. And we took two hits," Wilson said. "It was a high-powered rifle. It was a hunting rifle. The guy who's been charged with this was out hunting. What his motives were, I don't know."
But no charges have been filed at this point.
"A suspect has been identified and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with our agency to determine the appropriate charges," Shoshone County Undersheriff Rod Plank wrote in a new release issued Wednesday afternoon. "There is no suspect in jail and no charges have been filed at this time.
"We are not releasing the suspect's name until the investigation is complete and a decision on charges has been made," Plank wrote.
Wilson said his company, which has a fleet of 12 helicopters, was working under contract through Northwest Management of Moscow to do heli-torch work on Potlatch Corp. land. Palmer was flying over and around a broadcast burn area when the shots were fired.
FBI spokesman Don Robinson, of Coeur d'Alene, confirmed his agency is aware of the incident. "We're waiting to hear back from the U.S. attorney's office whether they're going to assume prosecution of the case or they're going to let Shoshone County prosecute it," Robinson said. "It's one of those things where there's a state charge and there's also a federal statute, so prosecutors are going to work it out to see what is a more appropriate venue to take that case."
A spokeswoman at the Shoshone County prosecutor's office said they have not received any reports on the incident.
"The incident remains under investigation and charges will be filed by the appropriate agency in the coming days," Plank wrote. "No further details will be released until that time."
Palmer, who is flying this week in Oregon, said by cellphone he wasn't sure what was happening when he heard the first two bullets narrowly miss the helicopter. But a third bullet passed through the cowling within about two or three feet of his head.
"The first one I didn't recognize as a bullet," Palmer said, recalling a "snap" he heard. He made another pass with the helicopter and heard the snapping sound a second time. "I still didn't identify it as somebody shooting at me. But almost immediately after that, I heard a loud one," Palmer said. "And that one, the way it passed through the helicopter, went right over my head."
A fourth shot was fired and Palmer said he thought to himself, "I'm getting out of here."
Wilson said one of the bullets struck and cracked a control tube. "It was within minutes of coming apart," he said, "at which point the helicopter would have wrecked."
According to the sheriff's office press release, other people on the ground also heard four shots. Palmer said he did not see a shooter. But Wilson said there were reports of an eyewitness who apparently talked with authorities and someone was detained the next night.
"We were really happy with the response of the sheriff's department," Wilson said. "We thought they did an excellent job."
Palmer, 69, flew helicopters, including gunships, in Vietnam. "I didn't get shot up a lot over there. I got shot down once," he said. "I took one bullet through the engine, so we ended up in a rice paddy."
The Hillcrest helicopter, a Bell Jet Ranger, was repaired, flown back to Lewiston for a complete overhaul and inspection before being put back to work. Wilson said he understands how hunters and other recreationists can get irritated when one of his helicopters is flying overhead throughout the day. "However, there's no justification to take out a high caliber rifle and try to shoot us down."
Robinson said the FBI (http://dailyme.com/organization/federal-bureau-of-investigation.html) takes such incidents very seriously, but is in a waiting mode at this point. "We don't have an ongoing threat out there is why we're taking the posture of letting the prosecutors work it out," he said. "But if we had an active shooter out there, we'd be all over it."