Gunman Shot and Killed After Firing at Police Helicopter

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Austin police say a gunman has been shot and killed after he repeatedly fired at a department helicopter that had been dispatched to investigate calls of someone shooting out streetlights.

Police Chief Art Acevedo says the gunman, initially identified only as a 27-year-old white man, shot at the chopper for about 30 minutes before a police officer fatally shot him early Sunday in a southwest Austin neighborhood. At least one of the gunman's shots hit the aircraft's rotor blades.

The helicopter safely returned to its base. It's one of three in the Austin police fleet.

Authorities say they've recovered pistols, rifles and shotguns they believe belonged to the dead man.

It's not immediately clear if the man lived in the neighborhood.