Los Angeles County Sheriff Says 8 Deputies Shared Kobe Bryant Crash Photos & They Have All Been Deleted

Los Angeles County Sheriff, Alex Villanueva said eight deputies have admitted to taking unauthorized pictures of the helicopter crash which killed Kobe Bryant. He believed these were the only individuals with the photos and that they have all since been deleted.

Reports came out last week that first responders took gruesome photos of the tragic accident which took the lives of Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others. Villanueva told NBC News that his office became aware that deputies may have taken photos the week of the January 26 crash.

The sheriff told the outlet that all eight of the deputies came into the station on their own volition and told authorities the pictures were deleted.

“That was my No. 1 priority, was to make sure those photos no longer exist. We identified the deputies involved, they came to the station on their own and had admitted they had taken them and they had deleted them. And, we’re content that those involved did that.”

A trainee had taken pictures of the crash site and was overheard at a bar showing them to a woman he was “trying to impress.” The sheriff’s office became aware of the photographs because a bartender who heard the trainee filed an online report.

The sheriff stressed how disappointed he was in the behavior of deputies who took pictures on their cell phones and showed them to others.

“I mean, people are grieving for the loss of their loved ones. To have that on top of what they’ve already gone through is unconscionable,” Villanueva said.

Speaking to CNN he described feeling “a sense of betrayal.” According to the sheriff, the only people authorized to take pictures of that crime scene were the coroner’s office and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Villanueva said the main focus of his office’s investigation was to stop the pictures from being spread and to worry about discipline action after the images had been deleted. He told NBC News that usually those suspected of such actions would be placed on leave and then lawyers would be involved. The sheriff thought that route highly increased the likelihood of the graphic images reaching “public domain.”

There were two members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department who took pictures of the crash site and have since been ordered to delete them as well.

“I personally apologized…on behalf of the poor conduct of our employees and we want to make things right,” the sheriff told CNN.

On Monday, Vanessa Bryant released a statement from her legal team on Instagram saying she was “absolutely devastated” to learn first responders had taken personal photographs of the crash.