Vanessa Bryant Reveals She Initially Believed Kobe & Gianna Bryant Survived Their Fatal Helicopter Crash + Says Sheriff Assured Her The Site Would Be Secured
Vanessa Bryant Reveals She Initially Believed Kobe & Gianna Bryant Survived Their Fatal Helicopter Crash + Says Sheriff Assured Her The Site Would Be Secured
Nearly two years following the tragedy, new information about Kobe Bryant‘s untimely death is coming to light.
As previously reported, Vanessa Bryant sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department last year for allegedly sharing post-mortem photos of Kobe and Gianna Bryant after perishing in a helicopter crash. This past Friday (Oct. 22nd), Vanessa Bryant appeared in a virtual deposition regarding the case and made some revelations about the tragic day that Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven others lost their lives.
Specifically, the 39-year-old widow revealed that she learned of the helicopter crash on the day the incident occurred: Jan. 26th, 2020. Vanessa Bryant said an assistant informed her of the accident at around 11:30 a.m. that morning. Erroneously, the assistant reportedly said that five people had survived the crash, leading Vanessa to initially believe that Kobe and Gianna Bryant were still alive.
However, she later discovered the horrible truth about Kobe and Gianna‘s deaths from L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. After learning about the situation, Vanessa urged the deputy to secure the crash site to prevent anyone from taking photos.
“I said ‘If you can’t bring my husband and baby pack, please make sure that no one takes photographs of them. Please secure the area.’ And he said ‘I will.'”
However, four officers allegedly took cellphone photos of Kobe and Gianna‘s deceased bodies and shared them with others. Once Vanessa Bryant found out about the situation, she sought legal action and memorably posted the involved officers’ names on Instagram. Regarding the lawsuit, Vanessa says she only wants those involved to be held accountable for the damage caused by sharing the post-mortem photos of Kobe and Gianna. She remarked:
“The impact of the helicopter crash was so damaging, I just don’t understand how someone can have no regard for life and compassion and, instead, choose to take that opportunity to photograph lifeless and helpless individuals for their own sick amusement.”
This update comes shortly after news broke that Vanessa could potentially be mandated to take a psychiatric exam to prove that the photos being shared caused her emotional distress.
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