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Surveillance video inside the bar showing Cruz and Gutierrez interacting and appearing to look at Cruzs cellphone together played throughout his testimony. The suit claims the Sheriff never gave the family clear answers, and now Vanessa lives in constant fear that the devastating photos will leak to the public. "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," says the lawsuit, which TMZ obtained a copy of. 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 Garden is dog friendly (pets on leash) with greeters who offer dog treats. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. That's when a bartender overheard the conversation and blew the whistle by reporting the information to the sheriff's department. The deputies allegedly snapped photos of the dead children, their parents and coaches, according to the lawsuit filed last year by Vanessa Bryant in Los Angeles. Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. When Gutierrez told him what Cruz had shared with him, Mendez said he was "in disbelief, disgusted and angry. Moments later, security camera footage showed him and Cruz laughing. 'Irrational confidence', Stars pay tribute to Stephen Curry after 50-point NBA playoff game, Which teams will reach the NBA conference finals? The former LA Fire Department captain was present at the scene of the incident and spoke of images that will haunt [him] forever after admitting that he took 25 to 30 photographs of the crash site. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The Monday filing by Bryant's attorneys also included more specific information drawn from a confidential sheriff's department internal affairs report that said the captain of the Malibu-Lost Hills station attempted to stop deputies from deleting the photos, warning they could be violating the law by destroying evidence. Kobe and Gianna Bryant were among nine people killed in January 2020 when the helicopter they were riding in flew through thick clouds and crashed into a hillside near Calabasas. Ron Hernandez, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, had previously declined to say if the deputies named by Bryant have been disciplined, are on modified duty or even if they're still employed by the department. Several Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies -- none of whom were directly involved in the investigation of the crash -- are also included in the lawsuit because they are accused of taking or passing around the grisly photos with family, friends and, in one case, a bar patron and a bartender who later complained to the sheriff's department. P.S. "Seeing someone you love in that state would create an image that stays with them forever.". "It is our understanding that this is an ongoing investigation," Hernandez said in a statement to NBC News last month. The suit claims the Sheriff never gave the family clear answers, and now Vanessa lives in constant fear that the devastating photos will leak to the public. She stood up and walked out, wiping tears from her eyes. WebIn court, an L.A. County fire captain said he showed some photos from the 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others. Los Angeles County lawyers have claimed Vanessas lawsuit has no merit, arguing in an April 30 filing that it should be dismissed because the photos were never disseminated to the public. USA Todayreports the filings read: "Despite putting their mental condition front and center in this case, Plaintiffs refuse to submit to independent medical examinations (IMEs). USA Todayreports the filings read: "Despite putting their mental condition front and center in this case, Plaintiffs refuse to submit to independent medical examinations (IMEs). A songwriter and his sister take on a Hollywood hills fixer-upper. She told the courtroom that the coroner's office did not invite the families to identify their loved ones after the crash because of the intense and unidentifiable nature of their condition. Thursdays witnesses included the Lakers general manager, Rob Pelinka, who spoke about the Bryant familys distress. The NBA icon and his 13-year-old daughter tragically died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS, Heartbroken dad issues warning after son, 13, dies in TikTok challenge, Red flag after possible suspect in missing brothers case made eerie request, Two dead and four injured after 19-year-old 'opens fire at prom after party', $80k reward offered for shooting suspect Francisco Oropesa after five killed, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Vanessa Bryant filed a lawsuit against the LAPD Sheriff for inappropriate photos of Kobe and Gianna's death site in 2020, The photos reportedly show the bodies of the NBA legend, his daughter, and seven others who died in the crash, Deputies allegedly allowed their colleagues to see the photos that had no investigative purpose, At least eight deputies allegedly snapped photos of the dead children, their parents and coaches, according to the lawsuit, An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board examines the plane wreckage, LAPD Sheriff Alex Villanueva allegedly didn't tell the victims' families about the images, Vanessa claims in her filing, Charred parts from the doomed helicopter that crashed into a mountainside in Calabasas, Victim's families only learned of the scandal in the media after the story broke, the lawsuit claims, A search helicopter lands near the site where Kobe's Mamba Chopper crashed, Authorities search the scene for clues through thick plumes of smoke, Local fire crews assisted in the search for all nine victims' bodies, Vanessa shared Instagram photos of Kobe memorabilia that she collected throughout his career, She posed for a photo wearing her late husband's team jacket, Kobe's wife took a '#Keepsake' selfie in his high school basketball warm-up jacket, A photo of the jersey worn by Kobe during the 2001 NBA Finals, the year he and the Lakers won the championship, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash in California on January 26, Seven others died alongside the NBA legend and his daughter, Vanessa Bryant paystribute to her late husband Kobe and daughter with two new tattoos, askingVanessato undergo a psychiatric evaluation, showed off the crash site pics to a woman he was trying to impress, they'd get off scot-free if they deleted the photos, shared Instagram photos of memorabilia pieces. "I keep EVERYTHING for my baby and our girls," she added. At least eight Los Angeles County employees have been accused of taking graphic pictures of the victims damaged bodies with their personal cellphones and circulating the images among colleagues and, in some instances, Handout / National Transportation Safety Board via Getty Images, Mrs. They then sent the photos to a third firefighter -- a media relations officer who went to the scene and later shared the images with off-duty firefighters and their wives and girlfriends while socializing at an awards ceremony at a Hilton hotel the month after the crash. You must enable JavaScript in your browser to view and post comments. Sign up for notifications from Insider! https://abc7.com/kobe-bryant-crash-photos-trial-testimony/12136260 The sheriff's department initially withheld from the public court file the names of four of the accused deputies, citing concerns they would be targeted for harassment or hacking if publicly identified. Plaintiffs cannot claim that they are suffering from ongoing depression, anxiety and severe emotional distress and then balk at having to support their claims., Vanessas attorneys slammed the request, calling out the county for trying to force the evaluations on all of the surviving family, including four teenagers, a 10-year-old child, and a 5-year-old kindergartener., The lawyers added in their response filings: "The County has resorted to scorched-earth discovery tactics designed to bully Plaintiffs into abandoning their pursuit of accountability.". When Cruz left, video footage showed Gutierrez going up to cooks, coworkers, and customers at tables at least five separate parties telling them what he saw. An internal investigation by the Los Angeles County Fire Department found that two firefighters -- whose names were not disclosed in the court filings -- had taken photos of the bodies in the helicopter wreckage that "served no business necessity," Vanessa Bryant's attorneys wrote, and "only served to appeal to baser instincts and desires for what amounted to visual gossip.". Kobe Bryant crash photos Imbrenda did, however, hand over his department cellphone and laptop, the Times reported. Surveillance footage showed Cruz and Gutierrez greeting each other, as Cruz then showed Gutierrez a series of photos on his phone for under a minute. She offered insight into the grisly scene to give a sense of what photos of the site would show. The county has also worked tirelessly for two and half years to make sure its site photos of the crash were never publicly disseminated. LOOK: Firefighters and sheriffs work the scene of a helicopter crash that killed former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, Sunday, in Calabasas, Calif. | AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill https:// inq.news/RIPKobe Todays tip comes from Carolyn Chaney, who recommends the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: The Garden is filled with native California plants, including a stand of magnificent redwoods and a section devoted to the Channel Islands (with a great view most days). In September 2020, Vanessa Bryantsued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the county's fire department, the county as a whole, and eight officers in the wake of reports that first responders took and shared photos of the January 2020 crash site. The county does not condone this showing of accident site photographs and has taken corrective personnel actions accordingly, the filing in the legal battle playing out in federal court argued. In hisMarch 2020 interview with NBC News, Villanueva said he was focused on containing the potential distribution of the photos. Heres todays Mini Crossword, and a clue: Gush forth (4 letters). Firefighters who took and shared photos of Kobe Bryant crash site 2,213 Kobe Bryant Crash Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images At times, it appeared that Cruz and Gutierrez were smiling and laughing after viewing the photos but Gutierrez disputed that interpretation. "We never laughed about the photos, I'm 100% sure of that what type of human beings would we be." Emily Tauscher gave graphic testimony about the post-crash condition of Lawyers representing Los Angeles County said that taking photographs of fatal crime and accident scenes was common practice for investigative and information-sharing purposes, and that no crash site photos had ever been distributed publicly because, in part, all county personnel deleted the images from their phones and they cannot be recovered. Solitary confinement bill: The state Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed Assembly Bill 2632, which would restrict the use of solitary confinement. The L.A. County response also cites decisions in two unrelated lawsuits that official accident scene photographs may be made public by a government agency, even if they contain graphic images. Report: Firefighters Also Shared Graphic Images From Scene Of