Representational Image
New York:
The Federal Aviation Administration said today it was investigating an online video that shows an alleged home-made "drone" firing a handgun in the Connecticut countryside.
The 14-second video called "Flying Gun" shows a homemade multi-rotor hovering off the ground, buzzing furiously and firing a semiautomatic handgun four times at an unseen target.
It was posted on YouTube on July 10 and has been watched around 430,000 times. It was reportedly filmed by 18 year old Austin Haughwout from Clinton, Connecticut.
US media reports say Haughwout is studying for a degree in mechanical engineering. Neither he nor local police could be reached for immediate comment.
"The FAA will investigate the operation of an unmanned aircraft system in a Connecticut park to determine if any Federal Aviation Regulations were violated," it said in a statement.
"The FAA will also work with its law enforcement partners to determine if there were any violations of criminal statutes."
But Haughwout's father denied his son had built a drone, which are pre-programmed, and said the device was manually controlled.
"You know what? Stop using the wrong word. It's not a drone. It's a quadcopter," Newsweek quoted him as saying.
"The media is using inappropriate terminology to try and create fear in the public."
The 14-second video called "Flying Gun" shows a homemade multi-rotor hovering off the ground, buzzing furiously and firing a semiautomatic handgun four times at an unseen target.
It was posted on YouTube on July 10 and has been watched around 430,000 times. It was reportedly filmed by 18 year old Austin Haughwout from Clinton, Connecticut.
US media reports say Haughwout is studying for a degree in mechanical engineering. Neither he nor local police could be reached for immediate comment.
"The FAA will investigate the operation of an unmanned aircraft system in a Connecticut park to determine if any Federal Aviation Regulations were violated," it said in a statement.
"The FAA will also work with its law enforcement partners to determine if there were any violations of criminal statutes."
But Haughwout's father denied his son had built a drone, which are pre-programmed, and said the device was manually controlled.
"You know what? Stop using the wrong word. It's not a drone. It's a quadcopter," Newsweek quoted him as saying.
"The media is using inappropriate terminology to try and create fear in the public."
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