Daniel Williams, Dave Shapiro, Emma Huke, Kendall Fortner, Dominic Damian, and Celina Kenyon Identified as Victims in San Diego Plane Crash That Killed Six in Murphy Canyon Neighborhood
Daniel Williams, Dave Shapiro, Emma Huke, Kendall Fortner, Dominic Damian, and Celina Kenyon Identified as Victims in San Diego Plane Crash That Killed Six in Murphy Canyon Neighborhood
On May 22, 2025, a tragic plane crash occurred in San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood, claiming the lives of six individuals aboard a Cessna Citation II jet. The victims have been identified as Daniel Williams, Dave Shapiro, Emma Huke, Kendall Fortner, Dominic Damian, and Celina Kenyon.(The Sun)
The Victims
Daniel Williams, 39, was the former drummer and founding member of the metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. After leaving the band in 2016, he transitioned into the tech industry, working at GoPro and recently accepting a position at Apple. Williams had previously survived the 2019 mass shooting at Ned Peppers bar in Dayton, Ohio. Just hours before the crash, he shared photos from inside the cockpit of the Cessna 550 jet. (New York Post, Wikipedia)
Dave Shapiro, 42, was a renowned music agent and co-founder of Sound Talent Group and Velocity Records. He represented major rock and alternative artists, including Sum 41, Parkway Drive, and Pierce the Veil. Shapiro was also a licensed pilot and owned the crashed aircraft through his company Daviation LLC. (Wikipedia)
Emma Huke, 25, and Kendall Fortner, 24, were employees of Sound Talent Group. Both were considered rising stars in the music industry, contributing to the agency’s success in promoting alternative rock and metalcore genres. (The Sun, Wikipedia, AP News)
Dominic Damian and Celina Kenyon, 36, were also aboard the flight. While specific details about their backgrounds have not been disclosed, they were part of the group traveling on the ill-fated jet.
The Crash
The Cessna Citation II jet departed from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on the night of May 21, 2025, making a fueling stop in Wichita, Kansas, before heading to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego. At approximately 3:45 a.m. on May 22, the aircraft crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, about two miles from the intended runway. The crash ignited fires that destroyed the plane and damaged multiple homes and vehicles. Remarkably, there were no fatalities on the ground, though eight individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries. (Wikipedia, New York Post, Reuters)
Contributing Factors
Investigators have identified several factors that may have contributed to the crash:
- Adverse Weather Conditions: At the time of the crash, the area was enveloped in heavy fog, with visibility reported at half a mile. The pilot was operating under instrument flight rules due to the reduced visibility. (Wikipedia)
- Non-Functioning Runway Lights: The runway lights at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport were out of service. The pilot did not declare an emergency or report any issues before the crash, and it’s unclear whether he was aware of the lighting outage. (AP News, Reuters)
- Disabled Weather Alert System: The airport’s automated weather system was down, requiring air traffic controllers to provide weather information from a nearby military base. This may have limited the pilot’s access to real-time weather updates. (Reuters, AP News)
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a team of investigators to the crash site. They are working to recover the wreckage and locate the flight recorder to determine the exact cause of the crash. The investigation is expected to continue over the next year. (Wikipedia, AP News)
Community Impact
The crash has deeply affected the local community and the alternative rock music scene. Tributes have poured in for the victims, particularly for Shapiro and Williams, who were influential figures in their respective fields. The loss of these individuals is felt not only by their families and friends but also by the broader communities they touched through their work and passion. (AP News, New York Post)
As the investigation unfolds, the focus remains on supporting the families of the victims and ensuring that such a tragedy does not occur again.
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