Pilot of downed police helicopter cites ‘divine intervention’

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Whether or not that's what happened, this guy has been through some tough times lately. The incident this story is about is the one in Virginia where a man shot eight people. Before he was caught, he took aim at a Virginia State Police helicopter.

Pilot of downed police helicopter cites ‘divine intervention’

DAVE THOMPSON MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: January 26, 2010

APPOMATTOX -- After service as a military helicopter pilot during the Cold War, getting shot at was not a new experience for Virginia State Police Sgt. Don Childs.

But Childs admitted that when he took a job flying the state's MedFlight helicopter, he didn't expect to face the threat of small-arms fire very often.

Last week, the state police helicopter he was flying took seven rounds from a high-powered rifle.

The shots came while Childs was attempting to help police locate Christopher Speight, who authorities believe killed eight people Tuesday in a deadly rampage in Appomattox County.

Childs is no stranger to violence. His daughter, Heidi, a Virginia Tech student, was killed in Montgomery County in August with her boyfriend, David Metzler. That crime has not been solved.