‘It's just like an emptiness': Friends and teammates remember victim of deadly plane crash
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — On Friday, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified three of the passengers killed in Thursday morning's plane crash in the Tierrasanta neighborhood.
All three of the identified victims, David Shapiro, Emma Huke, and Celina Kenyon, reportedly died of multiple blunt force injuries in the tragedy.
Another victim, Dominic Damian, has been identified by his fellow athletes at The Training Center in Pacific Beach.
Since 2007, Baret Yoshida would train with Damian as his instructor and said they became friends.
'I learned a lot from him,' Yoshida said, adding that he is working to keep Damian's memory alive.
'It's just like an emptiness, you know,' he said.
Yoshida saidDamian would regularly travel with his friends in the music industry to watch their shows.
'I knew that those were like his best friends,' Yoshida said.
He said he learned Damian was aboard the plane that crashed after Damian's wife messaged him with the news.
'I couldn't believe it was real,' Yoshida said. 'Even now, it's still settling in, you know, because just the other week, we're watching Dom hit home runs over the fence.'
Damian, a black belt and accomplished Jiu Jitsu fighter, won several major awards, including silver and bronze at the World Jiu Jitsu Championships.
'He got to a really high level, and he beat a lot of the best guys in the world,' he said.
Damian would share his knowledge with his fellow trainees.
'He was doing the same thing for almost everybody within the gym, regardless of who they were and where they were from, so he was definitely one of the main mentors for people,' said Byunghon Lee, one of Damian's fellow fighters.
This shocking loss stings for the fighting community.
'This is the place I know I would feel his presence,' Lee said.
Yoshida said his lasting legacy won't be forgotten. The Training Center plans to host an open mat at their location on Memorial Day in honor of Damian.
'I've been thinking about him a lot,' Yoshida said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
40 minutes ago
- Washington Post
ICE detains Marine Corps veteran's wife who was still breastfeeding their baby
BATON ROUGE, La. — Marine Corps veteran Adrian Clouatre doesn't know how to tell his children where their mother went after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained her last month. When his nearly 2-year-old son Noah asks for his mother before bed, Clouatre just tells him, 'Mama will be back soon.' When his 3-month-old, breastfeeding daughter Lyn is hungry, he gives her a bottle of baby formula instead. He's worried how his newborn will bond with her mother absent skin-to-skin contact.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Police investigate shooting at Scissortail Park shortly after Thunder win NBA championship
Police are investigating a shooting that happened Sunday night at Scissortail Park shortly after the Thunder won the NBA Finals.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
1 injured in shooting near downtown Oklahoma City after NBA Finals win: Police
As Oklahoma City was celebrating the Thunder winning the NBA Finals championship on Sunday evening, police responded to a shooting near downtown OKC that left one person injured. Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Rob Robertson told ABC News that shots rang out on the west side of Scissortail Park shortly after the game ended. Law enforcement located the unidentified victim with a gunshot wound, with several potential suspects fleeing on foot, according to Robertson. MORE: Thunder beat Pacers 103-91 for NBA title The victim was transported to a local hospital and is expected to recover fully, police said. Robertson described it as a "hectic scene" with lots of people in the area due to the celebrations. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
