The former drummer of a Christian rock band and a music agent were among those identified as victims of a deadly plane crash in a San Diego neighborhood in the early hours of Thursday.
The fiery crash occurred around 3:47 a.m. when the small Cessna 550 abruptly came down into the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, igniting cars and homes and injuring eight people on the ground.
The exact number of victims, and the number of people on board the plane is still unknown, though it is believed that at least three were killed. Here’s what we know about them so far.
Dave Shapiro
Dave Shapiro the owner of Sound Talent Group, the first person identified among the deceased, as confirmed by his company.
The 42-year-old was an avid pilot with over a decade of experience flying, though it was not immediately clear if he was flying the plane or if he was a passenger. He was also known around the music industry as a “daredevil,” according to the Billboard report.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” a spokesperson for Sound Talent Group told Billboard. “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.”
“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,” his aviation website reads.
Shapiro, who worked with bands including Sum 41 and Pierce the Veil, was also a staunch supporter of independent music. He launched his own agency in 2018 with Tim Borror and Matt Anderson.
Daniel Williams
Williams was the former drummer of metal-core band The Devil Wears Prada, and was identified as a victim of the crash by his family, according to TMZ.
The outlet reported that the drummer’s father Larry William said they had not had official confirmation from authorities, but that he was confident his son had been on the plane.
The Devil Wears Prada also posted a tribute to Williams on their official Instagram page. Sharing several pictures of him they wrote “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”
Just prior to the crash Williams had posted a picture of himself online in the copilot’s seat of the small plane, with the caption “Hey… look at me… I’m the (co) pilot now.” However, his father told TMZ that his son did not have a pilots license.
In a post on X, podcast State of the Scene wrote: “Heart goes out to Dave Shapiro and Daniel Williams’ family and friends. What a f****** tragedy this week has been..”
