BRPD helicopter crash victims hailed as heroes before deaths

BATON ROUGE – The fatal police helicopter crash deaths of Sgt. David Poirrier and Cpl. Scotty Canezaro have left the community saddened and shocked.

Working in the air support unit, the pair had more than three decades of police experience between them. Both were licensed helicopter pilots and tactical flight officers.

A fellow airman described both Poirrer and Canezaro as experienced and conservative pilots.

In 2019, the duo were even awarded “Officers of the Month” by the police department for their parts in assisting with several pursuits.

“It’s always better to have two people than one because I can concentrate more on flying and looking and have another set of eyes with me,” Poirrier said in an interview with the Police Union in 2022.

Just a little more than a year ago, Poirrer and detective Dustin Conde helped locate a missing eight-month-old baby who spent the night in the woods in the Central area. WBRZ spoke to him about the rescue.

“Everything just fell into place with a joint effort of everyone from the very beginning. The hospital, the fire department, all the way search and rescue, K-9. All the way through or we wouldn’t have had a successful outcome.”

Their work wasn’t just exemplary while on the clock, both officers were active in the community. Canezaro often took his chopper to schools and events to teach kids about the aircraft.

Both men leave behind children. According to Poirrier’s social media profile, he had just been promoted to sergeant two weeks before the accident.

Baton Rouge Police tell us they are working with the family on funeral arrangements and they should be announced soon.