Victims of San Diego plane crash: Music industry figures, Devil Wears Prada drummer, a photographer
Published in News & Features
The Cessna 550 was flying into Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego early Thursday morning amid dense fog.
For reasons that remain under investigation, the plane slammed into a residential neighborhood, causing multiple fires and leaving a massive debris field.
All six people on the plane were killed.
A spokesperson for Sound Talent Group, a San Diego County-based music agency, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the company lost three employees.
Among them were company co-founder Dave Shapiro and booking associate Emma Huke, the San Diego County medical examiner’s office said Friday.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” read a company statement. “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.”
Authorities say a power surge at the airport disabled the weather system and runway lights at the time of the crash.
Here is what we know about the victims:
Dave Shapiro, 42
Shapiro’s digital presence encapsulated the spirit of an adventurer. He was a music agent, airplane and helicopter pilot, husband and retired BASE jumper, according to his Instagram bio.
Shapiro, who co-founded Sound Talent Group in 2018, also started Velocity Aviation, a company that offers scenic flight tours in San Diego and Homer, Alaska. The aviation company also specializes in aircraft leasing, aircraft sales consulting, ferry flights and flight instruction, according to the Velocity Aviation website.
Shapiro took his first flight class in 2005 as a 22-year-old executive in the music business and was immediately “hooked to all things aviation,” the website reads.
Shapiro also owned a restaurant, record label and a merchandise manufacturing business.
“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,” the Velocity Aviation website reads. “With over 15 years of flight experience, thousands of hours logged, and over a million miles flown, Dave continues to grow his experience and share it with the aviation community through the many services Velocity Aviation offers.”
Videos on Instagram show him performing rolls and other aerobatic maneuvers while piloting an aircraft. In 2020, he posted a photo of his pilot licenses announcing that he’d been certified as an airline transport pilot.
“For non-aviators, this is the license above commercial. 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 in the caption. “Passed the check ride a couple months ago and got my cert in the mail! Did the test in a citation 525 series so I’m now rated for the CJ jets too. Fun times.”
Flying was more than a business to Shapiro. It was also an element of one of life’s biggest milestones — his wedding.
In 2016, Shapiro and his wife boarded a bright red plane mounted with skis to fly over Denali National Park in Alaska to get to their ceremony. The couple said “I do” on Kahiltna Glacier — the bride wearing a gold, sequined dress and the groom a dark suit and an Iron Maiden T-shirt.
Shapiro’s wife detailed the whirlwind celebration in a story published online, ending it with a message of adoration for her groom: “my beautiful husband, thank you for existing and I love you way more.”
An outpouring of condolences were posted to social media Thursday. The music industry veteran worked as a band manager and promoter and in other roles in American metalcore, pop-punk and emo rock music.
“He was my manager and agent for years and a huge part of my career as a producer and musician,” Carson Slovak wrote on Facebook. “He was a truly good person and an inspiration to countless people. His contributions to the music industry are legendary and his charitable spirit had a profound effect on so many. I’m heartbroken and in shock.”
Bill D’Arcangelo, an artist manager at Mid Atlantic Management, said in a post on Facebook that Shapiro was “a pillar of the music industry that will never be replicated or replaced.”
Emma Huke, 25
Originally from Orange County, California, Huke was a booking associate for Sound Talent Group. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a journalism degree in 2022, according to a biography released by the company.
She was an avid dancer and part of a national championship-winning dance team at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita.
She also had a deep love of live music that led her to complete several internships in the music industry before she joined Sound Talent Group in 2024. Her favorite artists to watch perform were Taylor Swift and the 1975, according to the biography.
“Emma also brought that passion for live music to her work,” the company said in a statement. “She was smart and organized, helping STG plan and promote their biggest tours. Clients and friends called Emma a force of nature, and she was a beautiful soul who brought joy and a light to everyone in her presence.”
Celina Marie Rose Kenyon, 36
Kenyon, a professional photographer from San Diego, specialized in music photography and shot many performers and celebrities including Jelly Roll, Paris Hilton, and Lisa and Vic Fuentes, according to her social media accounts.
Her work appeared in Paper Magazine, Variety, Rock Sound, AP Magazine, Off the Rails, Pump, Flannelle and more, according to her professional website.
In a statement provided to NBC7 News, her father, Bryan Charles Feldman, said Kenyon was returning to San Diego from a shoot and opted to privately fly with the crew rather than take a commercial flight so she could be back in time to take her daughter to school.
“Celina’s legacy is her daughter and partner, her parents, as well as countless family members,” he stated. “Our family is devastated beyond these words. The world has lost a beautiful bright light.”
Kendall Fortner, 24
Fortner’s love of music was nourished at a young age when her father would take her to concerts. She was raised in Santa Clarita and attended West Ranch High School, according to a statement from her family. She graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a degree in business and previously interned at Sound Talent Group in college before taking a job as a booking associate after her graduation.
Fortner gravitated toward the business side of music, and her job showcased her ability to plan tours and festivals for bands.
She taught herself to play the piano and guitar. Fortner enjoyed 1950s doo-wop to classic rock, Green Day to Ed Sheeran, according to her family.
“Kendall loved it all,” her family said. “Fiercely independent and strong-willed, Kendall was the life of the party and lit up any room she entered.”
Daniel Williams, 39
Daniel Williams, the former drummer for metalcore band the Devil Wears Prada, is presumed to be among those killed, though his name has not be released by the medical examiner. He shared photos of himself boarding the plane alongside Shapiro on Instagram hours before the tragedy unfolded.
On Thursday, the band shared photos of Williams on Instagram with the caption “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.” A representative for the band referred an Associated Press reporter to the social post when asked about Williams’ death.
Thousands of comments mourning Williams were left on the Instagram post, with several band members and musicians sharing messages about how much they loved him and were inspired by him.
The Devil Wears Prada guitarist Jeremy DePoyster shared a montage of photos with Williams on his Instagram story, thanking the drummer for all of his support and for helping create the band that changed his life.
“You inspired me everyday,” wrote DePoyster. “You gave me everything I have in this life. You mentored me through the toughest moments.”
The band formed with six members in Dayton, Ohio, in 2005. They gained a loyal following in the mid to late 2000s with hits including “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?” and “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over.” Williams parted ways with the group in 2016.
“We were just a bunch of kids in from Dayton Ohio in a garage and you made it something that mattered,” DePoyster wrote. “Love you bro.”
Williams survived a terrifying mass shooting in 2019 when a 24-year-old gunman opened fire at Ned Peppers bar in Dayton, killing nine and wounding 27.
“There was an active shooter in the bar I was in tonight. I am told that he had an AR15,” Williams wrote on X in August 2019. “I am so incredibly broken for those affected by this. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
On May 14, Williams wrote on X that he had accepted a new software engineering role at Apple after nearly eight years working at GoPro.
Although Williams had not been an active member of the Devil Wears Prada in almost a decade, many people still recognize him as a key figure in the metalcore scene.
“As a drummer this was one of the guys that I looked up to tremendously in my metalcore playing,” wrote one fan on Instagram. “He’s always been so original and genuine with his style and technique. The dude’s an icon. Seriously devastating news here.”
Other publications including The New York Times and NBC News said he is presumed to have died.
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