A pair of Virginia State Police pilots were killed in a helicopter crash while keeping tabs on the violent clashes in Virginia on Saturday.
The helicopter was hovering near the white nationalist rally when it crashed into a wooded area on Old Farm Road around 5 p.m., just outside the city of Charlottesville, police said.
Virginia State Police confirmed that pilots Lt. H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, and Berke M.M. Bates, 40, of Quinton, died in the wreck.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he had known both pilots since 2014.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jay and Berke, both of whom were our close friends and trusted members of our team,” McAuliffe said in a statement.
“Jay has flown us across the commonwealth for more than three and a half years,” the governor added.
“Berke was devoted to our entire family as part of our Executive Protective Unit team for the past three years.”
Cullen spent more than two decades with the state force and is survived by a wife and two sons, official said.
Bates, a 13-year veteran of the state police, died one day shy of his 41st birthday. He is survived by his wife and two children, a son and daughter.
Police said no one on the ground was injured.
Officials said there was no indication of foul play being a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation, police said.
The crash occurred near the Birdwood Golf Course, some seven miles west of Charlottesville’s downtown area.
A woman was killed earlier in the day when a silver Dodge Charger plowed into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville.
President Trump addressed the pilot’s deaths on Twitter Saturday.
“Deepest condolences to the families & fellow officers of the VA State Police who died today. You’re all among the best this nation produces,” Trump wrote shortly before 7 p.m.
With News Wire Services