VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WTVR) -- A Glen Allen man was one of the two FBI agents killed during a training accident Friday off the coast of Virginia Beach, the FBI announced Sunday.
Special Agent Christopher Lorek and Special Agent Stephen Shaw were members of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, part of the Critical Incident Response Group based at Quantico, Virginia.
A law enforcement official said the agents were killed while training to use a rope for landing on a ship from a helicopter.
The official said the helicopter encountered weather difficulties and the agents fell into the water rather than making a landing on the ship. The official believed winds were a factor but did not know if it was raining at the time.
The official said the agents died as a result of the impact rather than drowning about 12 nautical miles off shore.
Lorek, 41, lived in Glen Allen and is survived by his wife and two daughters, ages 11 and 8.
CBS 6 reporter Joe St. George spoke with Lorek's family late Sunday night. They are asking for privacy as this time.
However, several neighbors remembered Lorek as a warm and kind man.
Shaw, 40, is survived by his wife; a daughter, age 3; and a son, age 1.
“We mourn the loss of two brave and courageous men, who like all who serve on the Hostage Rescue Team—whether training or on an operational mission—accept the highest risk, each and every day, in their commitment to keep our nation safe," FBI Director Robert S. Mueller said in a statement. "Our hearts are with their wives, children, and other loved ones who feel their loss most deeply. And they will always be part of the FBI Family.”
The cause of the incident remains under investigation.
CNN contributed to this report.
