Wreckage of helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant
(Photo : Reuters)

The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department knew that deputies took pictures of Kobe Bryant's body and later shared them at a bar. However, the department has been accused of covering up the incident.

The County Sheriff's Office in Los Angeles received a complaint about a young police officer who shared the gruesome pictures of Kobe Bryant three days after the helicopter crash. It was stipulated in the report that it happened at a popular pub in Norwalk, California.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva later ordered the destruction of the photographs. It was also believed that the department tried to hide any related news about the exposed images. 

According to legal experts, the destruction of the photographs means the destruction of evidence. Villanueva also said that even though there is no policy about taking personal photos at a crash scene, the eight deputies who are involved in sharing the images of Kobe Bryant's corpse did not follow normal investigative procedure.

It is stated in the department's investigative procedure that to "record, store, document, catalog, transmit, and/or forward any image, document, scene, or environment captured as a result of their employment and/or while performing official department business that is not available or accessible to the general public," using their phone is not allowed.

In a report from Fox News, spokesman of the National Transportation Safety Board said that they asked local authorities if there are images that have investigative values. 

For the chairman of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission Patti Giggans, he said that there seems to be a cover up of misconduct, but he hopes that it is not the case. 

This was also supported by a former NYPD sergeant Joseph Giacalone who said that the complaint about the shared images of Kobe Bryant's corpse was mishandled.

He said that the sheriff was supposed to confiscate the mobile phones and ensure that photos were not shared with anyone outside the department. Moreover, he also said that the department should have documented the photos.

The lawyer of Vanessa Bryant has now called an internal investigation and was asking for the harshest possible form of discipline for the involved deputies. She also said that what they committed was a form of violation of human decency, respect, and most of all a violation of the privacy rights of the victims and families.

Moreover, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors, also asked that there be people outside of the department to investigate as to what is happening in the department and anything that is believed to be involved with corruption.

Jessica Levinson, a professor from the Loyola Law School, said that the idea that the deputies who took the pictures of Kobe's corpse and promised to delete it is not how it is to be. For her, there is an inherent conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, Villanueva has given few details but declined to answer some questions and requests from the media. It was found out also that Jorge Valdez, Sheriff's Information Bureau captain, said last week that he was not aware of any complaints filed last week about the said shared gruesome images involving eight deputies.