Firefighters to Be Fired in Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash Scene Photo Scandal, Court Docs Say A fire department probe concluded that two firefighters had taken photos at the crash site that served no business necessity, Vanessa Bryant’s lawyers said in a court filing.
Published May 12, 2021 •
Updated 5 hours ago
The Los Angeles County Fire Department planned to terminate the employment of two firefighters and suspend a third for allegedly taking graphic photos of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash scene and sharing them with their wives and girlfriends, according to court documents filed this week.
The disclosure was made by lawyers for the late basketball star’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, in court documents related to her invasion of privacy lawsuit against Los Angeles County.
A fire department probe found that two firefighters had taken crash site photos that "served no business necessity," Vanessa Bryant’s lawyers said in a court filing.
The two firefighters were sent intention to discharge letters last December after a fire department internal investigation concluded they had taken photos of the dead bodies in the helicopter wreckage that served no business necessity and only served to appeal to baser instincts and desires for what amounted to visual gossip, Bryant s attorneys said in a declaration in support of delaying the lawsuit trial to allow time for additional investigation.
The third firefighter was said to be a media relations officer sent to the scene to interact with the press, the court document said.
None of the three were identified by name, and their employment status was not clear.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department planned to terminate the employment of two firefighters and suspend a third for allegedly taking graphic photos of the.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva‘s directive to deputies to delete any photos on their cellphones of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash scene may constitute an order to destroy evidence and could lead to their arrest, a now former Lost Hills station captain warned his bosses, according to court papers filed Monday.
Attorneys for Vanessa Bryant suing Los Angeles County over deputies and firefighters who allegedly shared grim photos of the helicopter crash revealed Monday that the station captain at the time had advised and tried to block the sheriff’s directive to all personnel to delete the images in an effort to stop