Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash images shared by deputies for 'visual gossip', says court

Kobe Bryant's death sent shockwaves worldwide as fans took to social media to pay their last respects to the NBA Hall of Famer. The Lakers legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant were among nine people who died in a fatal helicopter crash into a hillside near Los Angeles in January 2020. Meanwhile on Wednesday, a trial began in Los Angeles in Vanessa Bryant's invasion of privacy lawsuit regarding images from her late husband Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash.

All you need to know about Kobe Bryant photo trial

According to a Guardian report, Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa, filed a federal lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff’s Department after a deputy and firefighter leaked photos from the crash site. As per the report, Vanessa Bryant’s attorney Luis Li stated the cell phone photos shot at the crash scene by a deputy and a fire captain were “visual gossip” and viewed “for a laugh”, serving no official purpose. The report also claimed Vanessa Bryant's attorney argued that, “They were shared by deputies playing video games. They were shared repeatedly with people who had absolutely no reason to receive them.”

Los Angeles county lawyer J Mira Hashmall, in her argument, said that taking photos was an essential tool for first responders seeking to share information when they thought they might still save lives at the crash scene in the Calabasas hills west of Los Angeles. Li, in the court, is also believed to have said that Vanessa Bryant learnt about the photos’ circulation of Kobe Bryant crash a month after she tragically lost her husband and daughter and she discovered the news from the Los Angeles Times rather than LA county themselves.

“26 January 2020 was the worst day of Vanessa Bryant’s life. The county made it much worse. They poured salt in an open wound and rubbed it in," said Li.

Li played a security video of an off-duty sheriff’s deputy drinking at a bar showing the photos to the bartender, who shakes his head in dismay. The lawyer then showed an image of the men laughing together later. Hashmall told jury that the pictures have not appeared in more than two years and showed that leaders in the sheriff’s and fire departments carried out their jobs correctly and effectively.

Kobe Bryant: A look at his distinguished NBA career 

Kobe Bryant retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in the history of NBA, finishing two decades with the Lakers as a prolific scorer. He not only had a decorated NBA career but also became one of the game's most popular players and was the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers franchise. He was the league MVP in 2008 and a two-time NBA scoring champion and was a 12 time NBA's All-Defensive teams. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He later teamed with Pau Gasol to win two more titles in 2009 and 2010. Bryant retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final NBA game.