Kobe Bryant Photos: Sheriff Ordered 8 Deputies To Remove Helicopter Crash Pics
After it was confirmed that Los Angeles deputies took graphic photos at Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash scene on January 26, county sheriff Alex Villanueva has ordered the images to be deleted.
He told NBC4 on Monday (March 3), that he recently learned that eight deputies had taken, seen or exchanged images in the Lost Hills Station that patrols the area where the fatal crash took place.
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in the crash.
RELATED: Vanessa Bryant Is ‘Devastated’ That Photos Of Husband Kobe Bryant’s Crash Scene Were Leaked
“That was my number one priority, was to make sure those photos no longer exist. We identified the deputies involved, they came to the station on their own,” Villanueva said. “[They] had admitted they had taken them and they had deleted them.”
The sheriff’s department was also notified that a conversation between a bartender and a customer about the possession of the photos from the scene. It was reported that the customer was a trainee deputy.
“We’ve communicated in no uncertain terms that the behavior is inexcusable. I mean, people are grieving for the loss of their loved ones,” Villanueva said. “To have that, on top of what they’ve already gone through is unconscionable.”
Lawyer Gary C. Robb, who is representing Vanessa Bryant, said that the actions were “inexcusable and deplorable.”
“This is an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families,” Robb said in a statement. “We are demanding that those responsible for these alleged actions face the harshest possible discipline and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated.”
Additional sources from law enforcement told NBCLA that two Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters were also directed to delete crash scene photos that they had in their possession.
