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Associated Press
LOS Angeles — Organized " A culture of callousness prompts Los Angeles County lawmakers and firefighters to remove the bodies of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter of the Lakers star, and the victims of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed his 13-year-old daughter. Take a picture of and share it. Bryant's widow's attorney told jurors Wednesday. In his opening statement in court, he told jurors that the cell phone photos were taken at the crash site by his lieutenant. And firefighters were "visual gossip" watched "for laughs" and had no official purpose.
"They were shared by lawmakers playing videos of his game," he said. "They were repeatedly shared with people who had no reason to receive them."
County attorneys said taking pictures was the first response to trying to share information.
"Scene photos are essential," said the county attorney. J. Mira Hashmol said.
Vanessa Bryant cried frequently during her attorney presentations. During the break minutes later, she was still wiping tears from her eyes.
Li told jurors that a month after the crash, she learned that her photo was circulating from the Los Angeles Times, not from the county, and that her He said it made life worse.
"January 26, 2020 was the worst day of Vanessa's Bryant life. The county just made things worse," Lee said. "They poured salt into the open wound and rubbed it."
Li showed jurors a video of the off-duty sheriff's deputy drinking at a bar and showed the picture to the bartender. rice field. The lawyer later showed an image of the men laughing together. Li explained that two weeks later, at an awards dinner, firefighters were looking at photos on her cell phone, and she showed jurors an animated chart of how the infection spread to nearly 30 people. I showed it to
Lee said the county failed to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that all copies of the photos were accounted for. Looking at them online, Vanessa Bryant "will forever be haunted by what they did." The fact that it hasn't been made public in over two years shows sheriffs and fire department leaders have done their job, he said.
"They're not online. They're not in the media. They're not even seen by plaintiffs themselves," Hushmall said. No. It's a function of how diligent they have been."
Sheriff Alex Villanueva and officials immediately brought in everyone involved and began a lengthy formula that could further harm the family. Rather than conduct an investigation, she said, she ordered the photos to be deleted. ' said Hashmoor. "He felt that every second counted."
Hashmall told the jury that the reason Li showed the video of the bartender was that it showed the men laughing together. Another bar-goer who witnessed the photo sharing complained that the reason she suggested it was disguisedly edited for was because the Sheriff's Department obtained it the same day they received it.
She said the lieutenant was emotionally distressed by the difficulty of dealing with the crash site, and that the bartender was a longtime friend he had confided in.
} "He pulled out his cell phone, which shouldn't have happened," she said. "In a moment of frustration and despondency, he showed them those pictures. He regrets every day of his life."
She urged the jurors to forget the grief of those who filed the lawsuits and focus on the issues at hand.
Told. "That's hard to say. But this case isn't about the loss in the crash. It's about the photos."
County is seeking to resolve a similar lawsuit filed by two families whose relatives died in the January 26, 2020 crash. , has already agreed to pay $2.5 million. Bryant and Chester refused to settle.
Chartered helicopter crashes in fog as Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and other parents and players were flying to a women's basketball tournament Did. Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck.
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