Eight agents from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department face sanctions for taking photos of the fatal helicopter crash scene at Kobe Bryant and eight others, authorities announced at a media briefing on Tuesday. "My number one priority was to make sure these photos no longer exist," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said on Monday. "We identified the officers involved, they came to the station on their own, they admitted that they had taken these photos and claimed to have deleted them," he said. Villanueva also said he was "shocked" and "felt betrayed" to learn that some of his assistants had done so.
Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash on January 26 on Calabasas Hill west of Los Angeles. The only people who were allowed to take photos of the scene were investigators from the Transportation Security Agency (NTSB) and the coroner's office (medical examiner). Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa, said on Monday that she was "totally devastated" when she learned of information, revealed by the LA Times, that agents had taken photos and shared them.
It is an unspeakable violation of the human dignity, respect and privacy rights of victims and their families ”
"This is an unspeakable violation of human dignity, respect and the right to privacy of the victims and their families. We demand that those responsible for these alleged acts be subjected to the most severe sanction possible and that their identity be revealed, in order to ensure that the photos are no longer disseminated. We request that an internal investigation be carried out, ”wrote one of his lawyers in a statement published on Instagram.
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Alex Villanueva told CNN that he went to the families of the victims to express his regret. “I personally apologized for the misconduct of our agents. We want to fix things and certainly not prolong or increase anyone's anxiety. ” The LA county sheriff also said he is reviewing departmental regulations and trying to convince California state authorities to pass legislation that would make it illegal to take photos of crime scenes or accident showing human remains.
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