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The fiery crash occurred around 3:47 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, igniting cars and homes and injuring eight people on the ground
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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 before dawn on Thursday.
The fiery crash occurred around 3:47 a.m. when the small Cessna 550 abruptly crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, igniting cars and homes, and injuring eight people on the ground.
Dave Shapiro, co-founder of Sound Talent Group, and two employees were among those killed, the music agency said in a statement. Daniel Williams, former drummer for the metal band The Devil Wears Prada, was named as one of the other victims by his family.
There were six people on board and although the others have yet to be named, all are presumed dead. Here’s what we know about the victims so far.
Dave Shapiro was the first person to be identified among the deceased.
Shapiro, 42, was an avid pilot with over a decade of flying experience, though it was not immediately clear if he was flying the plane or if he was a passenger. He was also known in the music industry as a “daredevil,” according to a 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,” Shapiro’s aviation website reads.
Sound Talent Group has represented artists including American pop band Hanson, American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton and the Canadian rock group Sum 41. Hanson is perhaps best known for its 1990s pop hit, „MMMBop.“ Shapiro also owned Velocity Records.
Shapiro was a strong advocate for independent musicians and a co-founder of the National Independent Talent Organization. He was included in Billboard‚s 2012 “30 Under 30” list recognizing rising stars in entertainment. Industry veterans say Shapiro paved the way for the formation of other independent agencies and helped many alternative bands find audiences in the mainstream.
“Finding something you love to do is only going to make you do a better job because you actually care. You’re not just showing up for the paycheck, it’s not a 9-to-5,” he said in a music industry podcast in 2021. “This is part of living your life if you really love it.”
Shapiro grew up in upstate New York in the “straightedge hard-core” scene, a subculture that promotes not using drugs and alcohol in reaction to mainstream punk.
Shapiro said he became instantly hooked on aviation after taking his first intro flight at age 22. He seemed to love music and flying with equal passion, at one point opening an office of his talent agency at a hangar in San Diego.
Flying “helps me focus and helps me not be distracted by all the nonsense in the world, and whatever’s going on outside the plane kind of doesn’t matter in those moments,” Shapiro said in a 2020 podcast interview.
Shapiro owned a flight school called Velocity Aviation and a record label, Velocity Records.
He offered flights in both San Diego and Homer, Alaska, where he and his wife, Julia Pawlik Shapiro, owned a home, according to his online posts.
Shapiro married his wife in 2016 in the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska. They picked up their wedding licenses, got on a plane and flew to a glacier inside Denali National Park, landing with skis strapped to the plane’s wheels.
“When I met Dave, we became instantly bonded over the unconventional lifestyles we lead and our constant need for adventure,” she wrote in a blog post.
In 2019, he posted on Instagram that he had obtained his airline transport pilot rating, the highest level of certification issued by the U.S.
“Although I have a career and don’t plan to change that I always want to learn more and be a better pilot,‘ he wrote. He was also an adrenaline junkie who enjoyed base-jumping.
Daniel 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 Williams, said he had not received 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 its official Instagram page. Sharing several pictures of him the band wrote “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.“
Just prior to the crash, Williams posted a photo 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 pilot’s 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.”
Another fan shared a picture with Williams on X, describing him as a “great guy” who “always had the time of day to talk or take a pic in the probably 15 times I saw Prada between 06 and ‘13.” TDWP “still remains my favorite band to this day. The drums on Plagues blew my mind when it came out & nothing’s changed,” the fan added.
Another fan also described him as “an inspiration”. “This one hurts, man. Daniel Williams (founding drummer for The Devil Wears Prada) was one of my biggest drumming inspirations back in high school.”
“I looked up to him a lot and met him multiple times – he was always such a humble dude. Life is too short.”
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