Atlanta Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch: Saturday, November 3, 2012
Age: 48
Tour of Duty: 26 years
Badge Number: 3788
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: November 3, 2012
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Police Officers Richard Halford and Shawn Smiley were killed in a helicopter crash while assisting in the search for a missing 9-year-old boy at approximately 10:30 pm.
They were flying low over an area approximately four miles west of downtown when the Hughes OH-6A helicopter suddenly crashed to the ground near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Hamilton E. Holmes Drive. The helicopter exploded after impacting the ground. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the NTSB and FAA.
The boy they were searching for was found safe a short time later.
Officer Halford had served with the Atlanta Police Department for 26 years and had been assigned as a pilot in the Air Unit for 16 years. He is survived by his daughter, parents, brother, and sister.