ATLANTA (AP) — The first of two funerals for the Atlanta police officers killed when their helicopter hit a power pole and crashed is scheduled for Friday.
The funeral for the pilot, Officer Richard J. Halford, is set for 11 a.m. Friday at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church in Atlanta. A funeral for tactical flight officer Shawn A. Smiley is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church of Atlanta.
The chopper went down on a busy city street last Saturday night while the officers were searching for a 9-year-old boy who had run away. The helicopter hit a power line pole, and part of its landing gear got tangled up in cables before the rest of it plummeted to the street.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.