Details emerge about Barcelona attack victims, including California man - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Details emerge about Barcelona attack victims, including California man

Jared Tucker was honeymooning with his wife when he was killed in the Aug. 17 terror attack in Barcelona.

Share via

Jared Tucker was celebrating his honeymoon with his wife in Barcelona when tragedy struck.

The 43-year-old Tucker, from Lafayette, Calif., had been walking with his wife, Heidi Nunes-Tucker, along a crowded walkway when the couple stopped so he could use the restroom, his brother-in-law, Kalani Kalanui, told ABC 7 TV news.

A few moments later, he was killed when a terrorist drove a car into the crowd, Kalanui said.

“All hell broke loose,” Kalanui said. “Heidi was swept up in the terrified crowd and she lost sight of Jared.”

Tucker was among 13 people killed in Thursday’s attack.

Many of the victims came from different parts of the world, including the United States, Belgium and Germany, and from all walks of life. There were young children, mothers, professionals and elderly people.

Scores of people were injured.

Here is some additional information about Tucker and some of the others who were killed.

Jared Tucker, California

Tucker and his wife Heidi had been been married for one year, but had not yet been on their honeymoon. So the California couple set out on a two-week trip to Europe to celebrate their marriage.

His family described him to ABC 7 as a man who was loved by everyone. His father, Dan Tucker, told KGO-TV that his son had three daughters and confirmed his death Friday to local media.

A GoFundMe page has been started for the Tucker family.

“We loved Jared, we love you, and we are grateful that in this time of turmoil in this world we can still band together in a time of need and support each other,” the page says.

Francisco Lopez Rodriguez, Spain

Lopez, 60, was walking on the pedestrian mall with his wife when the van struck him, immediately killing him, according to his niece Raquel Baron Lopez on Twitter. She had reported earlier that he was missing and sent a series of tweets asking people to help track down her uncle.

Lopez was born in Lanteira, southern Spain.

Luca Russo, Italy

Russo, 25, had finished a degree in engineering and recently started a job, according to ASNA news agency. He was traveling with his girlfriend, Marta Scomazzon, who was injured during the attack.

“I fell over and I noticed that Luca wasn’t there anymore. I didn’t see him again. His body was swept away,” Scomazzon told ASNA news agency.

Flags will be flown at half-mast in Italy to mourn Russo’s death, Luca Zaia, the regional president of Veneto, Italy, wrote on Facebook. “Veneto loses another of his children,” Zaia said. “A serene and carefree moment has turned into death.”

Russo lived in Bassano del Grappa.

Elke Vanbockrijck, Belgium

Vanbockrijck was a mother of two sons aged 10 and 14, according to the KFC Heur Tongeren football team, a club where her kids practiced. She was 44.

The team remembered Vanbockrijck as a caring mother and wife who came to the football club often with her sons. “Our deepest sympathies go out to her two little boys, her husband, family and loved ones,” the team said in a statement on Facebook.

Bruno Gulotta, Italy

Gulotta, 35, was on vacation around Europe with his family. The father of two worked in the marketing and sales sector of Tom’s Hardware in Legnano. He leaves a wife, Martina Gullotta, and two young children.

Friends and colleagues remembered Gulotta as a kind man with a thirst for knowledge.

“He loved to study every aspect of his life and profession,” the company said in a statement. “He was one of us at Tom’s Hardware, everyone knew who he was.”

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that Gulotta had a 7-month-old named Aria and a 6-year-old named Alessandro.

Pino Bruno, the head of the company Gulotta worked for, told the news agency that Gulotta had shielded his wife and children during the attack, saving their lives.

Pepita Codina, Spain

Codina, 75, was from the Spanish town of Sant Hipolit de Voltrega. The mayor confirmed her death. “We are very affected by the death of someone from our town,” Xavier Vilamala said in a statement.



UPDATES:

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the Barcelona attack victims.

This article was originally published at 1:45 p.m.

Advertisement