{"id":47114,"date":"2022-08-16T14:57:43","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T14:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/firefighter-accused-of-photographing-kobe-bryant-body-walked-out-of-court\/"},"modified":"2022-08-16T14:57:43","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T14:57:43","slug":"firefighter-accused-of-photographing-kobe-bryant-body-walked-out-of-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/firefighter-accused-of-photographing-kobe-bryant-body-walked-out-of-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefighter Accused Of Photographing Kobe Bryant Body Walked Out Of Court"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters accused of circulating photographs of Kobe Bryant’s body at the scene of his death have begun testing in court.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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The NBA legend’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in September 2020 over that employees took and shared cellphone images of the crash site where her husband and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, died on Jan. 26, 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Kobe and Gianna were among the nine people killed in a fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The group had been on their way to a girls basketball tournament when their helicopter crashed due to bad weather, killing everyone on board.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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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, family members and friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cMrs. Bryant feels ill at the thought that sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and members of the public have gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child,\u201d the lawsuit states. \u201cShe lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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According to Rolling Stone, she broke down in quiet sobs as her lawyer, Luis Li, explained to the jury how officials at the scene of the incident \u201cwalked around the wreckage and took pictures of broken bodies from the helicopter crash,\u201d claiming that they \u201ctook close-ups of limbs, of burnt flesh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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The fourth day of taking proceedings got underway on Monday, with a number of Los Angeles County employees and first responders the stand to answer questions about their involvement in the dissemination of graphic photographs from the crash site.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Former Los Angeles Fire Department captain and safety officer Brian Jordan was present at the scene of the fatal incident and is one of the first responders accused of taking closely cropped photographs of body parts in the wreckage.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Jordan said in his testimony that he took 25 to 30 images at the scene of the crash, but claimed that he had been ordered to do so by his superior, Fire Chief Anthony Marrone \u2014 a claim previously denied by Marrone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cI followed many instructions that day but was told ‘take pictures, take pictures, take pictures,’\u201d he told the court, per TMZ.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Jordan went on to say that he could not recall details about the day due to memory issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cI was there. I do not remember being there. Please stop describing the scene to me,\u201d he said, going on to claim that he does not remember specific details of the photographs, which had been deleted.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cPlease refrain from taking my brain back to that crash site,\u201d he added. \u201cI’m not sure what I was taking pictures of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Throughout his testimony, Jordan grew increasingly frustrated when probed about the specific details of his actions and even walked away from the stand on three occasions, according to several outlets.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Jordan left the courtroom for the first time, accompanied by his lawyer, after being asked if he had photographed Kobe’s body at the scene, prompting him to rise from his seat saying: \u201cI need a break, I need a break.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cI had an image in my head that was not pleasant,\u201d he said upon his return. \u201cThere are these images I’ve been living with every day \u2026 The way that whole scene looked is going to haunt me forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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When asked whether he photographed the remains of 13-year-old Gianna, Jordan replied, \u201cI don’t even know who that is.\u201d He added, \u201cSorry for your loss, wherever Vanessa Bryant is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Prior to the trial, Jordan had made efforts to avoid testing, filing a protective order citing the impact that the \u201chorrifying\u201d crash scene had on his mental health. The mental anguish from the incident was also the reason he gave for his retirement from the Fire Department in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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His lawyer, Steven Haney, told CNN that Jordan’s numerous breaks were related to \u201ca medical condition associated with his viewing of the crash scene and it causes him to suffer trauma.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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Reports say that Bryant spent much of Monday’s proceedings with her head resting in her hands, never looking at the witnesses as they spoke.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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County lawyers claim that Bryant’s case lacks merit, citing the fact that the graphic images were never leaked to the media.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cThe county to express its deepest families for the sympathies continues this terrible loss,\u201d county lawyer hashmall told Rolling Stone in a week.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\u201cThe county has also worked tirelessly for two and half years to make sure its site photos of the crash were never publicly disseminated,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe evidence shows they never were. And that is fact, not speculation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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