Vanessa Bryant v. Los Angeles County: Trial over Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash site began
us.hola.comVanessa Bryant is one step closer to finding justice for the alleged photos first responders of Los Angeles County took at the helicopter crash site where Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, 13-year-old Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, 46, 14-year-old Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, 46, John Altobelli, 56, Christina Mauser, 38, and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50, died.Vanessa’s lawyer Luis Li spoke about the emotional distress the images taken on January 26, 2020, have had on the philanthropist and businesswoman.
Months after the tragedy, Vanessa Bryant sued L.A. County for graphic photographs of the victims shared with unauthorized people for entertainment.According to Rolling Stone, the attorney showed the 10-member jury footage of Deputy Joey Cruz at the Baja California Bar & Grill in Norwalk, showing the images to a bartender who then walked away. Ralph Mendez, sitting near the bar, noticed that Cruz had photos of the crash site on his phone.
After pondering about what he should do next, Mendez decided to inform Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to avoid the images leaking online.“January 26, 2020, was and always will be the worst day of Vanessa Bryant’s life,” Li reportedly told the jury. “County employees exploited the accident.
They took and shared pictures of Kobe and Gianna as souvenirs. …They poured salt in an unhealable wound.”Vanessa’s representative said first responders “walked around the wreckage and took pictures of broken bodies from the helicopter crash.
Read more on us.hola.com