Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that after discovering some of his deputies had shared images of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others last year, he directed the “photos never see the light of day.”
In a deposition with attorneys for Vanessa Bryant, who is suing the county and four deputies who were investigated for sharing photos of the January 2020 crash, Villanueva said he was keeping a promise to the Lakers star’s widow that no one would see the photos of the remains of her husband and their daughter Gianna.
Villanueva said last week that, given the same circumstances, he would again direct the deputies to get rid of the photos to ensure the gruesome images did not make their way to the public. He said it was his intention the photos be deleted, although he never used that word.
In her lawsuit, Bryant says she suffered severe emotional distress after learning that deputies and firefighters had shared images from the scene of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, Gianna and seven others on their way to a tournament. Although a judge ruled that she would not have to face a psychiatric evaluation in the lawsuit, she has been ordered to turn over therapy records to the county.
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