A father and son from Texas were among the dozens killed in the horrific truck attack in the French city of Nice, according to a family representative.
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A family spokesperson released a statement saying 51-year-old Sean Copeland and 11-year-old Brodie Copeland were vacationing in France when they were killed. Two of them were wounded and another was missing, the University of California, Berkeley, said on Friday.
The State Department confirmed that two USA citizens were killed in the attack in the south of France, though it did not name the victims.
Davis said the family lived in Prosper, a town in Collin and Denton counties, before moving to Lakeway, near Austin.
Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, WXIA, reported that 17 students from the Georgia Institute of Technology were in Nice to celebrate Bastille Day.
The Washington Post spoke with Jess Davis, a friend of the Copeland family, who says that the State Department is flying in two of Sean’s brothers to retrieve Kim, Austin, and Maegan as they mourn the loss of Sean and Brodie. This photo was sent to me earlier today from the French Riviera…
“This is an extremely hard time for my family and anyone who knows Sean and Brodie Copeland”, Haley Copeland, another niece, posted on Facebook.
Hill Country Baseball, where Brodie played, posted a picture of the boy in swimming trunks splashing in a pebbly beach, apparently taken in France shortly before the attack. They met up with Veronique’s in-laws – Gisele Lyon, 63, and Germain Lyon, 68, who were also killed.
Haley Copeland said in a Facebook post that the pair were traveling with their family as part of a birthday celebration.
The Pastime Training Center in Frisco, Tex., posted a photo on Facebook of Brodie collecting a baseball trophy. Sean Copland was Vice President of North and South America for Lexmark’s Kapow Software Division.
Expressions of grief and condolences are pouring in as friends and strangers reach out to offer their support to the Copeland family during this time of such profound loss.
“Our hearts go out to all of those in France and elsewhere who have loved ones lost or injured in this event, and we pray for each of you”, the family said. “They’ve been great friends, and we’re very lost right now”.
The governor’s office said the French flag is being flown over the governor’s mansion in Austin in remembrance of the victims.
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According to a statement the pastor read, other Copeland family members still in Europe are working with the USA government to get back home.
