Vanessa Bryant recently became aware of allegations that deputies from the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. shared graphic pictures of the helicopter crash where Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven others died.
A statement from her lawyer said Bryant is “absolutely devastated.” Her attorney, Gary Robb, said that she visited the sheriff department’s on the day of the accident, Jan. 26, “and requested that the area be designated a no-fly zone and protected from photographers.”
He continued, “This was of critical importance to her as she desired to protect the dignity of all the victims, and their families. At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families' privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests.”
Robb also said that sharing photos is “an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families.” He said that the people who shared the photos should “face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated.”
Bryant posted the statement on Instagram.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported that it had launched an investigation into who had shared gruesome photos of the crash site. At least one LA County Sheriff deputy—a trainee—had saved images in his cell phone that he was later seen showing to a woman in a bar to “impress” her. The department later instructed deputies to delete any photos of the helicopter crash after the bartender at the bar allegedly filed a complaint with the department.
