Father And Son Killed In France Attack Had North Texas Roots

Sean Copeland, 51, and his 11-year-old son, Brodie, were on a European vacation with their family. It started with the running of the bulls in Pamplona then flamenco dancing in Barcelona.

They had been celebrating Bastille Day, watching fireworks, at the beach in Nice, France, when a truck drove into the crowd. They were two of the 84 killed in the attack, which French officials are investigating as a terror attack.

The Copeland family lived in Prosper, a town just north of Frisco, before moving to Lakeway, near Austin in 2014. Brodie had been a student at Folsom Elementary in Prosper ISD. Sean attended the University of North Texas in 1984.

Family friend and spokesperson, Jess Davis, said Brodie was an “amazing son and brother who lit up our lives.” Sean, she called, “a wonderful husband and father.”

Credit Courtesy of Copeland Family

Friends say baseball was a huge part of the family’s life. Brodie played for the Hill Country Reds as a pitcher and second baseman. Aaron Cable, with the baseball club, worked with Brodie almost every week for the past two years.  

He said in a statement that Brodie was a one-of-a-kind kid, “popular, funny, mature and fun to be around.” Off the field, Brodie loved acting and wanted to be an actor and comedian one day.

Wife and mother, Kim, is still in France, along with Sean's two older children, Austin and Maegan.

Credit Courtesy of Copeland Family

A candlelight vigil for the family will be held Sunday night at Frontier Park in Prosper. A GoFundMe campaign has already raised nearly $30,000.