27-05-2025
Victim of San Diego plane crash honored by local jiu-jitsu community
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — After a local jiu-jitsu fighter was identified by teammates as one of the victims in last Thursday's deadly plane crash in San Diego, his martial arts community rallied together to host an open mat in his honor.
Dominic Damian, 41, was one of six people killed after a Cessna 550 crashed into a Murphy Canyon military housing neighborhood early Thursday around 3:45 a.m.
Damian was a black belt jiu-jitsu fighter who won several awards, including silver and bronze medals at the World Jiu Jitsu Championships.
'It's just like an emptiness': Friends and teammates remember victim of deadly plane crash
His fellow athletes at The Training Center in Pacific Beach identified him as one of the victims of the crash. They held an open mat on Memorial Day as a way to remember him.
'Dom did a lot for a lot of people, and jiu jitsu itself does a lot for a lot of people,' said JD Speck, another black belt fighter at the center. 'So, when you have somebody who is such a top-level competitor but is also willing to reach out and help those that are first entering their jiu-jitsu journey, it means a lot.'
Baret Yoshida, a trainer at the facility, said he started training with Damian in 2007 and they became friends.
'I couldn't believe it was real,' Yoshida told FOX 5/KUSI in an earlier interview. 'Even now, it's still settling in, you know, because just the other week, we were watching Dom hit home runs over the fence.'
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office also named four other victims who died in the crash: David Shapiro, 42, Emma Huke, 25, Celina Kenyon, 36, and Kendall Fortner, 24.
Although not yet announced by the medical examiner's office, Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the rock band The Devil Wears Prada, was also on the plane and presumed dead, according to Tandem Management Company.
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