Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Hunter Bennett was killed in a helicopter crash while assisting the Flagstaff Police Department with an active shooter.
Around 8:30 p.m., Flagstaff Police officers were responding to a domestic violence call when a subject began shooting at officers with a long rifle. The subject continued to fire at officers as he ran from rooftop to rooftop in the neighborhood. After 9:00 p.m., Trooper Bennett and Aviation Supervisor Robert Skankey responded with tactical support. At 10:17, the Ranger 56 helicopter crashed, killing Trooper Bennett and the pilot.
An investigation revealed a mechanical problem with the main rotor. Since the helicopter was flying so low, the pilot did not have an opportunity to recover.
The suspect was apprehended and is in the hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.
Trooper Bennett had served with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for over three years.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-592A5C2F- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Bennett gave the Arizona Department of Public Safety 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Arizona. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Bennett.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Hunter R. Bennett is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Arizona Department of Public Safety, 15 of 31 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 48.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Hunter R. Bennett's cause is highlighted.
How Hunter R. Bennett Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Hunter R. Bennett is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
30 officers from Arizona Department of Public Safety are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
