'They were doing God's work': Families remember N.M. first responders killed in helicopter crash

By Gregory Hasman
Albuquerque Journal

TIJERAS, N.M. — Honor guards from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and Bernalillo County Fire Rescue stood watch at the East Mountain Memorial Wall on Tuesday evening to honor four men who died in a 2022 helicopter crash in northern New Mexico.

As they stood, dozens of people walked up to the wall. Some kissed their fingers, then placed them over the name of a loved one on the wall, while others kneeled in front of the name.

“We can never forget those guys for what they did for us,” said Tim Sheahan, who came to remember the first responders.

On July 16, 2022, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Larry Koren, 55; Lt. Fred Beers, 51; Deputy Michael Levison, 30; and Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Specialist Matthew King, 44, were returning to Albuquerque after conducting firefighting operations near Chapelle, south of Las Vegas, when BCSO’s Metro 2 helicopter crashed.

Andrew Levison, brother of Michael Levison, told the Journal that, earlier in the day, he went to the crash site. As he walked to a memorial consisting of an American flag and pieces of the helicopter honoring the men, Andrew said he thought about their sacrifices.

“I’m proud of them for what they were doing that day,” Andrew said. “They were doing God’s work, in my opinion.”

While some time has passed since the incident, the memories remain fresh for many family members and friends.

“For the longest time, I thought it was just a bad dream,” said Noëlle Ashoo, Michael Levison’s partner. “Even after the first year, I thought this was a messed-up drama.”

‘A true brother’

While some people walked to the memorial, others intermingled with other relatives or members of the sheriff’s office and fire rescue.

Retired BCSO Sgt. Nathan Lerner was talking to some of King’s family when he said Beers was the “perfect mensch,” which is Yiddish for a person with integrity and honor.

Beers was not only a smart man, he said, but “he would never have anything bad to say about anybody.”

“He was a true brother,” Lerner said.

Sheahan said he remembered Beers and Koren as being “very dedicated at their jobs and dedicated to the people of Bernalillo County .”

King was known for his passion for his job, his desire to serve others, and his sense of humor.

“He would make you laugh until you couldn’t stand it,” his father, James King, said.

James said he had a tough time talking about his son’s death, but two years later, he is able to “talk about Matt a lot.”

“Every day is tough, and I imagine it’s going to be tough for quite a while,” James said.

‘We have more questions’

Tuesday’s remembrance took place just weeks after the National Transportation Safety Board issued its final report on the crash investigation. In it, federal investigators said engine failure due to poor maintenance caused the crash.

Andrew said the report made his parents “angry, disappointed and frustrated” because the incident could have been prevented.

“Why did this happen?” Andrew asked. “Why did we lose our family member?

“This didn’t get our family closure to any degree. We have more questions.”

Ashoo said she hasn’t brought herself to read the report. “It won’t bring him back,” she said, “so it changes nothing for me.”

While the report may not change things or bring closure, Andrew said the next step is “to prevent this from happening to anybody else.”

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