Lafayette man celebrating anniversary killed in deadly attack in Barcelona

Lafayette, Calif. (KTVU) - An East Bay man visiting Barcelona with his wife on their one-year wedding anniversary was killed in the deadly terrorist attack in Barcelona.

Daniel Tucker, the father of 42-year-old Jared Tucker confirmed to KTVU that his son was killed in the van attack on Thursday.

Jared Tucker and his wife were vacationing in Spain when they got separated on Thursday amid the chaos.

They were married last year and went to Europe to celebrate their delayed honeymoon, friends said.

His wife, Heidi Nunes Tucker,  communicated with KTVU on Friday morning. She had returned to the Promenade in Barcelona in the hopes of finding out what happened to him.

One friend, Danny Gomez, told KTVU that Tucker owns a pool company in Martinez that he runs with his father, and his wife is a sixth grade teacher at El Sobrante Christian School.

A vigil at El Sobrante school is scheduled this evening to support the family.

KTVU spoke with Jared's father earlier. Daniel spoke with pride about his son and of the pain of his loss.

Daniel said it was Heidi who confirmed to authorities that her husband was dead.

"They showed some pictures of people who were killed in the attack and they recognized of the pictures was Jared," he said.

The couple was visiting Las Ramblas in Barcelona. There's a photo of him sitting on a statue the day before he died and another of him in the water.

"Jared was a wonderful, wonderful person," Daniel said.

On Thursday, Heidi told family she wanted to look at jewelry, Jared went off to find a restroom. Moments later a white van jumped  the curb and began plowing into people. The couple lost sight of each other.

"I'm not angry necessarily. I just don't understand. It's hard to fathom how this could happen. How anyone would want to do this to innocent people," the father said.

Jared helped run his father's swimming pool remodeling company. He built a water slide at his father's home in Walnut Creek.

"He has literally remodeled thousands and thousands of swimming pools in the Bay Area."

The trip to Europe was the first time he had ever been overseas.

"I'm just really pleased he had few days of real happiness before this happened. I'm sure he died happy.

KTVU's Rosilena Tarver contributed to this report.