‘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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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