Taps For Alice Gruppioni Following Deadly Venice Boardwalk Rampage

Whenever there is a tragedy there are always the stories of “there but for the grace of God…” One of those stories belonged to West LA resident Diana Kramer, who can be found down on the Venice Boardwalk on some weekends donning her clown makeup and  making balloon creations for tourists.

This past Saturday was no exception. She was busy making her balloon art all day, but left the area just minutes before Nathan Louis Campbell allegedly drove down the boardwalk, killing Alice Gruppioni, and wounding 16 other people.

Kramer said, “I needed to make a call, yet oddly, my phone had no reception.” She added she never thought she’d utter the following words: “Thanks AT&T. You might have saved my life.”

However, Kramer wasn’t content with just being grateful for avoiding Saturday’s carnage. She returned to the boardwalk on Tuesday to film her friend Venetia Phillips playing taps in honor of Alice and all the victims.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday,  Alice Gruppioni's family, released an official statement regarding her death through attorney Gregory Bentley.

The statement read as follows:

The family wishes to express our sincere gratitude for the thoughts and prayers from so many around the world. We appreciate the professional attention and kindness shown by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office while advising us this morning of the impending prosecution of Nathan Louis Campbell.

We also wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Consul General of Italy, Giuseppe Perrone, for assisting us in expediting arrangements to allow us to bring Alice 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. Thank you all for your concerns as we begin to search for answers.