Sunday marks five weeks since Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were killed alongside seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. The Jan. 26 accident currently remains under investigation, but the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department is taking heat for some of the deputies actions after visiting the crash site.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported a public safety source familiar with the events had viewed another official’s photograph of the crash scene — which contained graphic and sensitive imagery — in a setting outside of the investigation. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department on Friday announced it opened an investigation into the allegations made in the Times’ report.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, is “absolutely devastated” by the report, according to the Associated Press.
“This was of critical importance to her as she desired to protect the dignity of all the victims, and their families,” Bryant’s lawyer Gary Robb said, per the AP. “At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families’ privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests.”
Robb called the alleged actions “an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families” and wants those who shared the photos in question to “face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated.”
Bryant was 41 when he died.
