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Updated March 18th, 2021 at 17:05 IST

Vanessa Bryant publicly names 4 deputies who allegedly shared Kobe's crash site photos

Kobe Bryant death: Vanessa Bryant finally revealed the names of four deputies accused of sharing graphic and unauthorized photos from the crash.

Reported by: Devika Pawar
Vanessa Bryant
| Image:self
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In January 2020, the world lost NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others to a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. While the world tried to honour Kobe Bryant in whatever way they could, many privacy issues were reported after their high-profile deaths. This included the Kobe Bryant crash site photos being shared by LA deputies, who Vanessa Bryant recently named publically. 

Kobe Bryant death: Deputies who shared NBA legend Kobe Bryant crash photos revealed

Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Vanessa can obtain the names of the four Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who had clicked and shared graphic and unauthorized photos from the crash. More reports revealed that one officer had taken around 25 to 100 Kobe Bryant crash site photos, eventually sharing them with other deputies. Later, the images were shown to civilians at a local bar. 

On Wednesday (Thursday IST), the Vanessa Bryant Instagram account had the names of the deputies, along with other parts of her lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff's and Fire department. The case states that Vanessa had previously discussed the Kobe Bryant crash site photos concerns with sheriff Alex Villanueva. Despite reassurances, 25 to 100 photos were taken. Some Kobe Bryant death graphic photos were apparently focused on the victims' remains. 

Kobe Bryant death crash site photos: Vanessa Bryant lashes out at photos circulated

The Kobe Bryant daughter photos were shared with people who had no connection to the investigation. The names Joey Cruz, Rafael Mejia, Michael Russell and Raul Versales were circled and highlighted by Vanessa. Out of the mentioned named, Mejia apparently stored the photos and shared them for "no reason other than morbid gossip". 

Earlier reports say that the Kobe Bryant daughter photos were shared with people and the bartender at a sports bar in Norwalk, California. Additionally, Russell shared apparently also shared them with his family. However, someone at the bar heard the photos being described and complained to the Sheriff's Department. Russell is accused to have saved the photos and sent them to friends at other stations irrelevant to the investigations.

Previously, the department had argued to keep the names hidden. If the public knows their names, hackers might try to target said deputies (and maybe even look at some existing photos). "The Sheriff's Department wants to redact the names of the deputies that took and/or shared photos of my husband, daughter and other victims," Vanessa had written in her IG statement. "Anyone else facing allegations would be unprotected, named and released to the public. These specific deputies need to be held accountable for their actions just like everyone else". 

(Image credits: Vanessa Bryant Instagram)

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Published March 18th, 2021 at 17:05 IST

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