Last week, reports started to circulate that there were deputies that had taken photos at Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash site. It was also alleged that one of the deputies showed the photos to a woman to impress her.
Now L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is speaking out on the matter. On Monday, he spoke with members of the media where he revealed that there had been 8 deputies that had taken the photos at the crash site. He said that he was “disgusted” after learning about what the other officers did.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the department has a policy against taking and sharing photos of crime scenes. However, the policy does not apply to accident scenes. However, Villanueva said he intends to change the department’s policy by expanding it to include accident scenes as well.
He said, “When I first got word of this information, I just felt devastated. These families of the victims have suffered enough already. To have any action of our deputies compile their suffering, that breaks my heart. It’s a sense of betrayal because these are my own employees.”
As we previously reported, Vanessa Bryant’s legal team released a statement on Sunday addressing the incident.
In the statement, her attorney said, “Our client, Vanessa Bryant, is absolutely devastated by allegations that deputies from the Lost Hills Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department publicly disseminated photos from the helicopter crash site.”
The statement continued to ask for the identities of the officers and also called for “harshest possible discipline.”
According to TMZ, Villanueva also reassured that the images have been. deleted, and that the officers involved are facing disciplinary actions and an investigation.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is also being investigated for taking photos of the crash site and sharing them as well.
Source: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/03/02/villanueva-deputies-kobe-bryant-crash-photos/
TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
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