The heavy metal drummer among those killed when a private jet crashed into homes in San Diego this week had survived a deadly mass shooting six years earlier.
Daniel Williams, a founding member of The Devil Wears Prada, posted photos of himself sitting in the cockpit of the doomed Cessna 550 plane just hours before it crashed in a fireball early Thursday, killing all six people on board, including music industry big shot David Shapiro.
The tragedy came after he once cheated death when trapped in the Ned Peppers bar in Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 when gunman Connor Betts opened fire, killing nine people and wounding 27 others.
Williams performs at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at San Manuel Amphitheater on June 30, 2012, in San Bernardino, California. Getty Images
Authorities retrieve evidence markers at the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. AP“I was in Ned Peppers. I’m still not sure exactly what happened,” the drummer had posted online at the time.
“People were piling on top of each other to get out. It’s all a blur. F–king awful.”
Police officers stand beside a victim after a deadly shooting in Dayton, Ohio, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. APThe 39-year-old musician was also celebrating a new job, which he announced online exactly a week before catching the doomed flight from Teterboro in New Jersey late Wednesday.
“I’m very excited to share that I’ve accepted a software engineering role at Apple,” he wrote in celebration on May 14..
“It’s been really tough to say goodbye to my friends and colleagues of nearly 8 years at GoPro, but it’s time for my next chapter. It’s time to help build the future,” he wrote.
Hours before the crash, Williams shared haunting photos from the private plane, including some inside the cockpit as he said he was flying back with Shapiro, 42, the co-founder of Sound Talent Group (STG).
Former The Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams shared haunting photos to his Instagram story of the plane he was taking to California hours before it crashed. @xcadaverx/Instagram“Hey. Hey… you… look at me… I’m the (co)pilot now,” the drummer wrote with a view of the aircraft controls and windshield.
“Here we goooooo,” the second post reads, with the yoke between his legs.
Williams and Shapiro were killed when the jet smacked into a power line in foggy conditions and crashed in Murphy Canyon, a San Diego neighborhood housing military families, around 3:45 a.m. Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Williams, who was an original member of the band, was also seen inside the cockpit of the private plane in two of his posts. @xcadaverx/Instagram
“Here we goooooo,” the second post reads, with the yoke between his legs. @xcadaverx/InstagramOfficials have yet to ID all on board, but confirmed there were no survivors.
Remarkably, nobody on the ground was killed when the plane exploded on impact and caused massive fires, caused by the jet fuel. More than a dozen homes were damaged.
Williams’ former Devil Wears Prada band members confirmed the founding member’s death in social media posts Thursday.
Williams revealed that he had accepted an engineering job at Apple just a week before he was killed. WireImage
Authorities work the scene where a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, setting several homes on fire and forcing evacuations along several blocks early Thursday, May 22, 2025. AP“No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever,” the band wrote in an Instagram post.
Williams joined The Devil Wears Prada during its inception in 2005, a year before the blockbuster movie with the same name. He left in 2016.
Shapiro, 42, co-founded Sound Talent Group (STG), whose clients include bands Sum 41, Story of the Year and Parkway Drive. His talent agency confirmed his death.
Dave Shapiro was also killed the the plane crash. Instagram/davevelocity“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends … Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time,” the agency said in a statement shared with Billboard.
The two men were lovingly remembered by music industry insiders across social media.
“Rest in Peace Dave Shapiro, Daniel Williams, and everyone on that flight. Some of my very first shows were booked through Dave. I had a handful of shows with Daniel, always a pleasure to see him play. Gone way too soon,” music executive Terrance Coughlin wrote on X.
