Venice crash: Italian newlywed's family issues statement of thanks

Venice crash: Italian newlywed’s family issues statement of thanks

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Deputies escort Nathan Louis Campbell at the Airport Courthouse, where he was arraigned Aug. 6, 2013, on charges of driving into crowds on the Venice boardwalk, killing a honeymooning Italian woman and injuring 16 others. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Piero Casadei, left, and Katia Gruppioni, the father-in-law and aunt of Alice Gruppioni, visit a memorial at the boardwalk on Aug. 5, 2013. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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People gather at the Venice boardwalk to remember the victims of the Aug. 3, 2013 crash. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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A card bears the photo of Christian Casadei and Alice Gruppioni, who were on their honeymoon when Gruppioni was killed and Casadei injured. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Visitors leave flowers and pay their respects at a memorial on the Venice boardwalk. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Lisa Green, left, and Toneey Acevedo, right, stop to place remembrances at a makeshift memorial on the Venice Boardwalk near Dudley Avenue. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Remembrances and flowers at a makeshift memorial. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Life resumes on the Venice Boardwalk after a deadly crash. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Witnesses described a blue Dodge zigzagging along Ocean Front Walk, striking pedestrians and vendors before speeding away. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Bystanders, police and firefighters at the scene of the Aug. 3, 2013, incident in which a crowd of pedestrians was struck in Venice Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

By Ari Bloomekatz

Aug. 6, 2013 5:30 PM PT

The family of the Italian woman killed Saturday when a man crashed his car into at least a dozen pedestrians on the Venice boardwalk released a statement through their attorney Tuesday, saying they want “to express our sincere gratitude for the thoughts and prayers from so many around the world.”

Alice Gruppioni, 32, an Italian tourist on her honeymoon, died Saturday. Witnesses told police that a blue Dodge sedan sped across Ocean Front Walk at about 6 p.m., appearing to target pedestrians. Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, has been arrested in connection with the rampage.

In the statement provided by the firm Shernoff, Bidart, Echeverria and Bentley, family members said they appreciated the “professional attention and kindness” given to them by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and also said they wanted to thank the Consul General of Italy for his assistance bringing the Gruppioni’s body home.

“No words can adequately express the grief and sorrow we are feeling as we mourn the loss of a beautiful person, family member and young bride,” the statement read. “Thank you all for your concerns as we begin to search for answers.”

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to install temporary traffic barriers at the Venice Boardwalk.

Saying the Venice neighborhood is “shaken” by the incident, Councilman Mike Bonin asked his colleagues to instruct various city agencies to place the temporary barriers at the most hazardous intersections along Ocean Front Walk until a permanent strategy for keeping cars away from pedestrians is developed.

Bonin said the city should treat the boardwalk, which receives millions of visitors per year, less like a neighborhood park and more like a global tourist destination.

Campbell pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 17 counts of hit-and-run.

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