Two music icons have been identified among the victims of the tragic San Diego plane crash on Thursday May 22.
The plane was carrying six people when it suddenly went down in Murphy Canyon that morning, leading to evacuations on several nearby streets.
Fire officials described a chaotic and dangerous crash site
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” assistant Fire Department chief Dan Eddy said at a press conference. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
He also said the plane directly hit multiple houses and left behind a huge debris field in a tightly packed neighborhood.
One of the victims was music agent Dave Shapiro
Dave Shapiro, a well-known music agent and the believed owner of the Cessna 550, was one of the people on board. Sadly, he didn’t make it.
Shapiro was known in the rock and metal world
Shapiro helped start Sound Talent Group, a booking agency that worked with big bands like Sum 41 and Story of the Year.
A spokesperson for the company told the BBC, “We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends.
Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”
The company also said three of their employees were on the plane and passed away, including Shapiro, though they didn’t give the names of the others.
He had a strong passion for flying
On top of working in music, Shapiro was big into flying. He was a certified flight instructor with over 15 years of experience, according to his aviation company, Velocity Aviation.
One part of the company’s website said, “From BASE jumping to aerobatic flying, Helicopters to twin engines, flight instructing to furthering his own education, doesn’t matter to Dave as long as he gets to be in the sky.”
Former metal band drummer Daniel Williams was also killed
Daniel Williams, who used to play drums for the metal band The Devil Wears Prada, was also one of the passengers on the plane.
His old bandmates shared a heartfelt tribute
The Devil Wears Prada posted online after the crash and said, “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”
They were referring to both Williams and Shapiro.
More victims have been identified
After the crash, Sound Talent Group shared that they lost not just Dave Shapiro, but two other staff members as well — Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke, who were both booking assistants.
It was also confirmed that Shapiro’s friend Dominic Damian and photographer Celina Kenyon were among the six people on board.
Daniel Williams posted from the plane before it went down
Just before the crash, Daniel Williams had posted a couple of Instagram Stories from the private jet. In one clip from the cockpit, he joked, “Hey. Hey … you … look at me … I’m the (co)pilot now.”
The crash set multiple homes and cars on fire
Reports said several homes caught fire, and about six cars were also burning after the crash happened on Thursday.
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Several people were hurt but survived
Officials said eight people who live in the area were taken to the hospital. Luckily, their injuries were not life-threatening and mostly from smoke inhalation.
The police chief called the scene horrific
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said: “I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once… it was pretty horrific to see.”
He also said it felt like a bit of a miracle that no one on the ground was killed.
Thick fog and runway issues may have played a role
Investigators said the weather may have been a major factor. The fog was so dense that “you could barely see in front of you,” according to assistant fire chief Dan Eddy.
Officials also mentioned the runway lights were off and a weather alert system wasn’t working when the plane tried to land. Because of all this, the jet didn’t make it to the runway and went down in the neighborhood instead.
Investigation into the plane crash is still ongoing.