Graphic Kobe Bryant crash photos taken by deputies must be deleted, LA sheriff says

The Los Angeles County Sheriff ordered that the photos of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven others be deleted to prevent them from being shared, according to media reports.

“That was my No. 1 priority, was to make sure those photos no longer exist,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva told NBC News. “We identified the deputies involved, they came to the station on their own and had admitted they had taken them and they had deleted them. And, we’re content that those involved did that.”

Villanueva learned that eight deputies took, saw, or shared the photos, according to NBC. At least two firefighters took pictures and were told to delete them as well, the outlet reported.

Photos of the crash site and victims’ remains were allegedly being shared by deputies, The Los Angeles Times originally reported.

Deputies were reportedly told that if they deleted the photos, they would avoid discipline, according to The Los Angeles Times. The sheriff’s department has “launched an investigation,” the outlet reported.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife, went to the sheriff’s office and asked the crash not be photographed “to protect the dignity of all the victims and their families,” Bryant’s attorney Gary C. Robb told CNN.

“We are demanding that those responsible for these alleged actions face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated. We are requesting an Internal Affairs investigation of these alleged incidents,” Robb said, according to CNN.

Bryant, his daughter and 7 others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Jan. 26, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.