Los Angeles Deputy Allegedly Used Kobe Bryant Crash Photos To ‘Impress A Girl’ & Fire Department Shared Pics

Details have emerged about the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies circulating graphic pictures from the site of Kobe Bryant‘s fatal helicopter crash. A man at a bar overheard a trainee boasting about the photos to a woman so he alerted authorities.

As covered by The Inquisitr, a report was published claiming sheriff’s deputies who responded to the helicopter crash had taken pictures and circulated them. It was unknown if they took the photos themselves or were passing around official photos taken for evidence, or if the pictures had been shared by other departments.

A report from TMZ has shed some light on the situation. The local sheriff’s deputies were the first on the scene and reportedly “multiple” deputies snapped personal photos of the gruesome crash site. It was one of these deputies who showed the pictures to a civilian in public that caused a report to be filed.

According to the outlet, a sheriff’s deputy trainee took personal photos of the crash debris and was eager to share them with people outside the department. A bartender heard a conversation the trainee had with a woman at a bar where he was showing her these photographs.

“He tried to impress a girl by showing her the photos,” the source told TMZ.

The bartender was outraged by the trainee’s behavior and ended up filing an online complaint to the sheriff’s department. They became aware of the circulating photos around three weeks ago. TMZ claims the man in the bar showed the pictures only “a few days after the crash.”

First responders from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department were first on the scene and have been confirmed as a department which took pictures of the crash site. Sources also verified with the outlet that other departments took personal pictures upon arrival.

It was previously reported that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was being investigated, but the investigation has since expanded. Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department also took pictures of the scene and now their department has launched an internal investigation.

In addition to Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, seven others died in the tragic accident. The sheriff’s department reached out to all of the families involved after news of the photos being shared went public.

On Monday it was reported that Vanessa Bryant filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express, the company responsible for operating the fatal flight. The suit alleges that decisions made by the pilot who died in the crash, Ara George Zobayan, were “reckless.”