Vanessa Bryant Wants To Publicly Release Names Of Deputies Who Shared Crash Photos
Vanessa Bryant is demanding the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department release the names of deputies who shared photos of the Jan. 26, 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, their 14-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others.
According to NBC News, Vanessa Bryant wrote in her Instagram Stories, "They want their names to be exempt from the public. Anyone else facing these allegations would be unprotected, named and released to the public."
She also added, "Kobe's name was released when he was accused in 2003. Why should sheriffs get away with hiding? #doublestandard"
Vanessa Bryant is referring to when Kobe was accused of rape in 2003, which became an international story.
The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to NBC News.
In September, Bryant fought back against the Los Angeles County Sheriff and his department due to leaked photos of the crash. Los Angeles-based KTTV says the lawsuit read, “no fewer than 8 sheriff’s deputies at the crash site pulled out their personal cell phones and snapped photos of the dead children, parents and coaches. The deputies took these photos for their own personal gratification.”
The suit also read, “Ms. Bryant feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child, and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”
Back in March, The Los Angeles Times reported that deputies were asked to delete any photos of the incident after the Department received a complaint that an official with the Sheriff’s Department was showing photos at a bar. Unfortunately, this Sheriff’s Department has a long history of sharing photos from investigations involving celebrities, including the 2009 attack on singer Rihanna by her then-boyfriend, performer Chris Brown.
Kobe and Gianna, along with seven other people, were killed on January 26, 2020 while taking a helicopter to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice in nearby Thousand Oaks.
