State Police Decline to Release Photos of Possible Gunfire Damage to New Helicopter

Maryland State Police have declined to release a photo of an alleged bullet hole in the rotors of a new AW139 Medevac helicopter saying that it could ultimately serve as evidence in a criminal investigation.

The damage grounded the new multi-million dollar chopper on the roof of Baltimore’s Shock Trauma last week.

Maryland State police speculated last week that the damage to the top rotor may have been caused by a stray bullet fired while the AW139 was providing air support during the chase of a Pennsylvania bank robbery suspect in Chambersburg.

PA police later told FOX45 that they have no reports of shots fired by bank robbers at aircraft during the chase and are not currently investigating shots fired at aircraft which participated in the chase.

Maryland state police say the helicopter is now operational, though it is still awaiting repairs. The state purchased 10 AW139s for $130 million dollars to replace an aging fleet.

A decision to purchase 12 of the larger, more technologically advanced helicopters was controversial when it was made in 2008 – and remains so today.

The requisition forced the state to borrow $133 million instead of choosing cheaper alternatives such as privatizing the fleet or refurbishing existing helicopters.

Original article:  http://foxbaltimore.com