HPD FOX Helicopter Crashes into Apartment Complex near Greens Bayou in North Houston HPD Tactital Officer Jason Knox is Killed, HPD Pilot Chase Cormier is critically injured HOUSTON — A Houston police helicopter crashed early in the morning continued of Saturday May 2, killing one of the to spin until two officers on board and critically it struck injuring the other, while assisting a a building call to search for bodies in a nearby inside the Greens bayou. apartment A pilot and tactical flight officer complex. were aboard a police helicopter Acevedo The helicopter had been dispatched when it crashed at an apartment noted that to the area to assist with complex around 2 a.m. They were shots rang a search for bodies in a nearby both flown to Hermann Hospital on out across Greens bayou, said the police Life Flight where the tactical flight the street chief. “But no evidence to date of officer died, police Chief Art Acevedo from the any bodies has been found in the said hours after the crash during scene at bayou,” Acevedo said. a news conference where he was around 3 HPD has grounded its fleet of joined by the city’s mayor, Sylvester a.m. and MD 500E helicopters until it can Turner. six people determine the possible cause The department identified the were taken of the crash and ensure that no officer who died as Tactical Flight into custody. Investigators are were no injuries to anyone on problems exist with its helicopters. Officer Jason Knox. He is survived by looking into whether gunfire had the ground at the apartment The department will be re- a wife and two young children, who any part in the crash of the MD complex. Cormier did an extraordinary lying on the Texas Department of were at the hospital along with his Helicopter. job of keeping the Public Safety and Harris County parents and in-laws, Acevedo said. The pilot, Senior Police Officer helicopter away from nearby Sheriff’s Office for flight support “We’re going to miss him,” Acevedo Chase Cormier, was in critical apartments, although it did clip in the interim. said. “He had a heart of gold, condition upon arrival at Me- the Biscayne at Cityview apart- Acevedo identified the helicop- integrity second to none.” morial Herman and underwent ment complex’s clubhouse. ter as “75 Fox.” No cause for the crash was given surgery. On Sunday, Cormier The officers were trapped in “It’s pretty ironic that yester- and Acevedo said the National told fellow officers that he had the “mangled” wreckage and it day we graduated a class and aircraft down and we’d lose a cars. He would buy salvage cars Transportation Board and the Federal broken his back in several places took firefighters about an hour to we had Fox fly out because we really good man, I would have and completely rebuild them Aviation Administration would and had broken ribs and other cut them out, Acevedo said. The had COVID, so we couldn’t do said ‘No way.’” including the original Oilers blue investigate while Houston police injuries. “The good news is he is helicopter did not catch fire and your traditional graduation, so Jason Knox was 35, married paint scheme from the 1980s conduct a separate homicide investigation. alert and talking but obviously HFD did an amazing job of extri- we wanted to do something and had two young children. and 90s. Jason is also the son of Eyewitnesses posted a vid- in a lot of pain” said one of the cating the officers even though special,” Acevedo said. “And if Many car enthusiasts around former HPD Officer Mike Knox, eo on social media, that shows the Doctors treating the officer. they were surrounded by flammable somebody had told me that a Houston knew Jason from his who is a current Houston City Jet fuel. few hours later that we had an passion of rebuilding old police Councilman. helicopter suddenly enter a spin and Acevedo told reporters, there 20 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 21
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