Frisco park dedicated to local family killed in Nice terror attack
FRISCO, Texas - A small neighborhood park in Frisco was dedicated to remember a North Texas father and son who were killed in a terrorist attack in Nice, France, in 2016.
A Tunisian man drove a truck through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers. He also fired shots before being killed by police. ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack. In total, 86 people were killed and hundreds more were injured.
Sean Copeland and his son, Brodie, from Frisco were in the crowd the night of the attack. Their loved ones and community in Frisco dedicated a small park in their name Friday night.
Troy Copeland and his family live in a Frisco neighborhood. His brother, Sean, and his nephew were the two Americans killed in Nice, France exactly one year ago. So Troy asked the builder and neighborhood association if he could dedicate this park next to his home to Sean and Brodie. Without hesitation, everyone said yes.
Troy thought it was the perfect spot since he can see the park from their home. He says the father and son loved playing outdoors. With a picture of his late brother and nephew by his side, Troy opened up about the worst day of his life.
Troy's sister-in-law called him from France to tell him her husband and her son had been killed in a terror attack while the family was celebrating Bastille Day.
“Taking people's lives, innocent lives, I just don't understand it and the reason why it just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Troy said.
“It’s crazy to think people you don’t even know can do such horrible things to people they don’t even know,” said Hannah Copeland, Sean’s niece. “It's just hard to think about.”
The Copelands are trying to turn the tragedy into something positive. Each member of the family wore red wristbands with #Copelandstrong. It’s the same wristbands that were buried with Sean and Brodie, who lie in rest in Austin.
“That’s why we always wear our wristbands,” Hannah explained. “To be happy and not to be sad about it.”
They're also handing out shirts with the names of all 86 victims written in the shape of a heart.
Troy wishes the Copeland family philosophy, ‘Live happy. Live fun. Live strong, would be embraced by the rest of the world.
Troy has also created a non-profit charity in their names called A Chance to Play. The goal is to raise money for underprivileged children to play sports, music or theater. They were all things Brodie was passionate about.