KINGMAN, AZ — More than 100 people gathered Thursday night at the Mohave County Fairgrounds to honor an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter pilot killed in a crash near Flagstaff.
ABC15 has learned the name of the pilot but is waiting for DPS to officially announce it to report it publicly. They are expected to announce the names of the pilot and on-board paramedic killed during a press conference on Friday morning.
While officials have not yet released the pilot’s name, the City of Kingman confirmed he was a longtime resident of the community.
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Neighbors and friends came together for an evening vigil, lighting candles and pausing for a moment of silence to remember a man they described as a protector both in the air and on the ground.
“Tonight you’re going to see the community come together as the family that we are,” said Jessica Ann Rivera, executive director of the Kingman Young Marines.
Rivera said the pilot served as Unit Commander for the Kingman Young Marines, mentoring local youth and leaving a lasting impact.
“You have in this crowd right now three Young Marines who have graduated our unit,” Rivera said. “Those are the lives he’s touched, those are the memories that will always be here.”
Community members also shared that the pilot was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Terry Flanagan with the Kingman Marine Corps League said his service did not end when he returned home.
“Right now, as Marines like to say, he has a new posting,” Flanagan said. “He walks the streets, patrols the streets of heaven.”
Kingman Vice Mayor Cherish Sammeli attended the vigil and spoke about the loss felt across the city.
“I want everyone to live a selfless life in ways that he would be proud,” Sammeli said. “And we thank him so much for protecting our community for as long as he did.”
The FAA and NTSB are on the ground in Flagstaff investigating the cause of the crash.
