Arizona man indicted on murder charges after fatal state helicopter crash

A grand jury indicted an Arizona man on two counts of first degree felony murder and dozens of other charges stemming from a state helicopter crash that killed the pilot and a trooper during a shootout between the defendant and police, authorities said Friday.

Terrell Storey, 50, fired on officers from multiple rooftops in a Flagstaff residential neighborhood over almost two hours on the night of Feb. 4, police said. He was captured about the same time as the helicopter crash and hospitalized for gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening.

Trooper paramedic Hunter Bennett, 28, and pilot Robert Skankey, 61, were killed.

The indictment does not specify whether Storey fired at the helicopter with the semiautomatic long rifle that police said he was using. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Under Arizona law, suspects can be charged with felony murder if they cause someone’s death “in the course of and in furtherance of” another crime such as burglary, kidnapping or sexual assault.

Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said Friday that he anticipates Storey will be arraigned on Feb. 23 but declined further comment on the facts of the case.

The indictment names as victims 25 law enforcement officers who responded to the scene and people who live in homes in the area.

It totals 60 criminal counts, including the two felony murder charges for the deaths of Bennett and Skankey. Other charges include aggravated assault, burglary, disorderly conduct and endangerment.

Storey remained hospitalized Friday, said Jon Paxton with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

He’s being held on a $5 million bond and is represented by the Coconino County Public Defender’s Office.

“Our sympathy and condolences go out to the families of the two men who were killed in the helicopter crash,” Public Defender Jennifer Stock said Friday. Stock added that she was “interested to see the results of the NTSB investigation.”

NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said the agency was still gathering details with a preliminary report expected within 30 days of the accident. A final report establishing a probable cause for the helicopter crash and any contributing factors is expected in one to two years, Knudson said.

The confrontation with Storey began when officers responded to a domestic violence call, according to Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly.

As the officers spoke with the victim in the front yard, Storey shot at them from the back of the residence with a semiautomatic rifle, Connolly said. A protracted gunbattle ensued, with the suspect “hopping from roof to roof” in the neighborhood while shooting at officers, the chief said.

The helicopter crew had been playing a common role, helping officers on the ground. Before crashing, the aircraft was making a pass back to the shootout scene when it slowed to almost a hover about 1,000 feet (300 meters) over a hilltop, according to public flight-path data.

Skankey was a longtime resident of Kingman, Arizona, and had been hired by the Arizona Department of Public Safety in May 2021. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was married with four children.

Bennett was an honors graduate of Arizona State University and the top graduate of his 2023 Arizona Law Enforcement Academy class. He transferred to an air rescue unit in 2024 and months later married his high school sweetheart, officials said.

Barker said in a statement announcing the indictment that his office was “committed to pursuing this case with the diligence and care it requires.”

“Our hearts remain with the families of Hunter Bennett and Robert Skankey, and with all the families impacted by this incident,” Barker said.