Police Officer Shawn Antonio Smiley

Police Officer Shawn Antonio Smiley

Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

End of Watch Saturday, November 3, 2012

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Shawn Antonio Smiley

Police Officers Shawn Smiley and Richard Halford 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 Smiley was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Atlanta Police Department for two years and had been assigned as a tactical flight officer in the Air Unit for one year. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Bio

  • Age 40
  • Tour 2 years
  • Badge 6635
  • Military Veteran

Incident Details

  • Cause Aircraft accident

Most Recent Reflection

View all 170 Reflections

Officer Smiley,
On today, the 10th anniversary of your death I would just like t say thank you for your service and sacrifice-not just as for your Community but for our Country as well when you served with the U.S. Navy. And to your Family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

Fair Winds And Following Seas

Anonymous
United States Border Patrol

November 3, 2022

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