ATLANTA (AP) - Mourners are leaving flowers, cards and other mementos at a makeshift memorial near the site of a police helicopter crash that killed two Atlanta officers who were searching for a runaway boy.
Authorities say the chopper struck a power pole, them plummeted to the ground and exploded, killing both officers on board late Saturday night. No one on the ground was hurt.
WSB Radio reports that a trust fund has been established for the families of the officers, 48-year-old pilot Richard J. Halford and 40-year-old tactical flight officer Shawn A. Smiley. Wells Fargo bank officials say they'll start taking donations at noon on Monday for the trust funds.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
