A drummer who played with the metal-core band The Devil Wears Prada is believed to have died in a plane crash Thursday morning, posting to social media just hours before the tragedy.
Daniel Williams, who played with the Christian metal-core group for years before his departure in 2016, was on a private jet that crashed into San Diego’s Murphy Canyon near the Tierrasanta neighborhood at around 3:45 a.m. local time Thursday. His father Larry confirmed to TMZ that he was on the flight and likely dead.
He told the outlet that the family has yet to get official confirmation from authorities, but are “confident” he was on the jet, which crashed with no reported survivors.
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The San Diego Police Department announced earlier on Thursday that around 100 residents had evacuated the area due to residue, at least two people were confirmed dead, and at least eight injured. They further noted that around 10 buildings had been damaged.
In a statement to the Daily Beast on Thursday night, the SDPD confirmed that there had been two fatalities who “appear to have been in the aircraft,” but noted that the number of those dead is still being determined. Moreover, the eight individuals who were injured were not aboard the aircraft and have subsequently received treatment or medical attention.
The jet, a Cessna 550, had six people on board, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft had taken off from New Jersey and was heading to San Diego’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport following a quick fuel stop in Kansas, NBC San Diego reports.
“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,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters Thursday morning.
Audio recordings captured during the flight on www.liveATC.net include a final transmission from the jet’s pilot notifying that they were about 3 miles from the airport.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the crash. No cause has yet been identified.
Talent agent Dave Shapiro is among those who died, according to his music agency Sound Talent Group. “We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” a spokesperson for the company 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.”
Williams had notably posted photos from inside the jet on his Instagram Stories a few hours before the crash, even tagging Shapiro in one of them with the caption: “Flying back with @davevelocity.”
The Sound Talent Group did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The Devil Wears Prada notably posted a tribute for Williams on Instagram, writing: “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”
The band formed in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio. When Williams was still drummer, the group charted two top ten titles on Billboard’s all-genre 200 albums chart: their 2010 EP Zombie and 2011 album Dead Throne.
Their accolades also include several chart-toppers on Billboard‘s Top Hard Rock Albums chart.
Following his departure from the group in 2016, Williams became a senior software architect at GoPro, according to his Instagram bio.
