On the afternoon of May 14, 1975, Officer Carter and a civilian observer had been assisting patrol officers as they tried to control a riot involving 250 students at Irving Junior High. After remaining on the scene several minutes, Officer Carter advised dispatch that the riot appeared to be subsiding and he cleared the area. A few moments after the last transmission, the Colorado Springs Police Department Communications Center was advised of some type of aviation crash on South Carefree Circle near the intersection of Valencia Road. When assistance arrived on scene, it was discovered that the CSPD helicopter had crashed, killing both Officer Carter and the civilian observer.