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Police in the District of Columbia have identified the third person killed by lightning Thursday near the White House as Brooks A. Lambertson, 29, a Los Angeles bank employee who was in the nation’s capital on business.
A husband and wife from Wisconsin who were visiting the area to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary were also killed, police said earlier. A fourth person was critically injured in the crash shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday, in a grove of trees in Lafayette Square, about 30 feet from the statue of President Andrew Jackson.
Lambertson died Friday, according to police.
Four seriously injured after lightning strike near White House
Lambertson’s father, who asked that his name not be used as the family grieves because “it’s not about us,” told The Washington Post in an interview Saturday night that his son was “probably the best human being, that I know”.
His son’s kindness, generosity and humility “came through in everything he did, in all his interactions with people,” he said.
Lambertson’s family and his employer, City National Bank, said in a statement Saturday that he was in D.C. for his job as vice president managing the company’s sponsorships. Lambertson, who lived in downtown L.A., previously worked in marketing for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, according to the release.
Police provided few other details about Lambertson or additional information about Saturday’s incident.
In a phone call, Lambertson’s father expressed gratitude to all first responders and others who tried to help his son. They did their best, he said, and his son’s death “wasn’t for lack of everybody doing their job.”
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“His sudden loss is devastating to all who knew him, and his family, friends and colleagues appreciate the thoughts and prayers that have poured in from across the country,” Lambertson’s family and employer said in a statement.
A D.C. police spokesman said late Saturday that the department did not have an update on the condition of the fourth victim, who was hospitalized after the shooting.
This breaking story will be updated.
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