New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued the following statement Friday evening following the deaths of news anchor Nancy Parker and pilot Franklin Augustus.
Parker and Augustus were the two passengers killed in a plane crash in New Orleans East on Friday afternoon.
"For more than two decades, Nancy Parker sat opposite John Snell as the FOX 8 co-anchor and gave us the news of the day. She told it to us straight, but with a combination of professionalism, intelligence, warmth and grace we may never experience again. New Orleans did not just lose a five-time Emmy-winning journalist, or a familiar, comforting face on our TV screens. We lost a loving mother of three, a beautiful human being, and an invaluable member of our community."
"Franklin Augustus fell in love with flying after listening to a Delta Airlines pilot as a high school senior. This native son of a longshoreman became an accomplished pilot, but he never forgot the magic he felt as a youth about flying. He spent countless hours introducing flying to area youth through the Young Eagles program and Civil Air Patrol. He spent time working with our young people, even dressing as a costumed superhero of his own creation: 'The Drug Fighter,' to deliver a message of hope, and to help combat substance abuse."
"Both victims lost in this tragic incident were beloved, one-of-a-kind individuals. Our hearts and our love go out to their families and all who knew them. May Nancy and Franklin both rest in God's perfect peace."
