Vanessa Bryant Learned Of Kobe, Gianna's Death Hours After Helicopter Crash; Asked LA County Sheriff To Make Sure No Photos Were Taken
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/AP) — Vanessa Bryant learned that her husband Kobe, and daughter Gianna, had been killed in a helicopter crash at around 11:30 a.m. on January 26, 2020, according to a court transcript of a deposition of Vanessa that was obtained by USA Today Sports on Saturday in her lawsuit case against Los Angeles County.
It was when a family associate knocked on her door that Vanessa initially found out that Kobe, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years and was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year, and their 13-year-old daughter were in an accident.
When Vanessa attempted to call Kobe, she was inundated with alerts that read, "R.I.P. Kobe."
Moments after, Kobe Bryant's widow said she pleaded with the Los Angeles County sheriff to make sure no one took photographs from the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the basketball star, and he reassured that the area had been secured, court documents say.
After Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed her husband, their teenage daughter, along with seven others, were killed, he asked Vanessa Bryant if he could do anything for her.
"And I said: 'If you can't bring my husband and baby back, please make sure that no one takes photographs of them. Please secure the area,'" Vanessa Bryant said during the deposition. "And he said: 'I will.' And I said: 'No, I need you to get on the phone right now and I need you to make sure you secure the area.'"
Villanueva, she said, excused himself momentarily and reassured her the area had been secured when he came back.
A message seeking comments from Villanueva has not been returned.
Bryant, whose federal lawsuit against the county alleges invasion of privacy, has claimed in court papers that she has experienced "severe emotional distress" that has compounded the trauma of losing her husband and daughter. The lawsuit contends first responders, including firefighters and sheriff's deputies, shared photographs of Kobe Bryant's body with a bartender and passed around "gratuitous photos of the dead children, parents and coaches."
Kobe Bryant and the others were killed Jan. 26, 2020, when the helicopter they were aboard, on their way to a girls basketball tournament, crashed in the hills west of Los Angeles amid foggy weather. Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck.
Los Angeles County is seeking to compel psychiatric evaluations for Vanessa Bryant and others to determine if they truly suffered emotional distress. Bryant's lawyers argue in court filings that the examinations are "cruel" while the county contends the examinations are "a routine part of the discovery process."
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