Story ID: 
Arrest Made after Alabama Medical Helicopter Shooting
By: Amy Wilder
Caption: FBI and FAA now leading federal investigation
Word Count: 412
Authorities in Autauga County, Alabama, arrested a man on Wednesday after gunfire struck a Haynes LifeFlight helicopter as it approached a landing zone to assist in a medical call, according to the Autauga County sheriff’s office.
Ambulance services provider Haynes LifeFlight dispatched the aircraft around 4:20 a.m. to a landing zone prepared by volunteer firefighters to pick up a patient. “Upon Haynes LifeFlight arriving, several shots were fired at the medical helicopter, striking the right side window as it approached the landing zone,” the sheriff’s office said. “A flight nurse within the medical helicopter was struck by the ricochet of the bullet.”
Despite the gunfire, the pilot landed the aircraft safely and deputies, already en route to assist, worked with firefighters and the pilot to identify the origin of the shots. Sheriff’s deputies arrested 48-year-old Peter Ellison at the scene and recovered a firearm. The injured nurse was treated at the scene and the patient requiring emergency care was transported by ambulance to a hospital.
Ellison was booked into the Autauga County Metro Jail for shooting into an occupied vehicle, with a $30,000 cash-only bond, and faces federal charges. The FBI and FAA have taken over the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
Haynes LifeFlight confirmed in a Facebook post that the aircraft was struck by gunfire and remains under inspection and repair. Kirk Barrett, COO at Haynes LifeFlight, said, “The safety of our patients and crew is our top priority. We are deeply relieved that our team was able to land safely with only a minor injury reported.”
The Pine Level Fire Department wrote on Facebook that “to say we are angered by this incident is a monumental understatement.” Calling the shooting “a frightening reminder of the risks all first responders face on a daily basis,” the social media post added that the outcome “came within a hairbreadth of ending the lives of many people this morning. Through the grace of God, everyone went home.”
Sheriff Mark Harrell thanked first responders and the pilot for their actions, calling their work “outstanding” and emphasizing that “it is incomprehensible that anyone would try to shoot at or use a device that could affect our heroes in flight that are there to save a life.” He reminded the public that it is a federal offense to point lasers or shoot at any aircraft with bullets or arrows.