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Funeral services held for Hunting Beach officer killed in helicopter crash

Officer Nicholas Vella was a 14-year veteran
Funeral Services for Officer Nicholas Vella, Huntington Beach
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HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KERO) — A California community came together to remember a police officer killed in last month's helicopter crash.

A funeral service was held for Huntington Beach Officer Nicholas Vella at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Tuesday. The 44-year-old was working as a tactical flight officer on February 19th when his police helicopter crashed into the ocean off Newport Beach.

Vella was a 14-year veteran with the department and is survived by his wife and daughter.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into what caused the crash and points to reports of mechanical failures just before the chopper went down.

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