LA fire supervisors called Kobe Bryant crash pics 'plutonium'
LA fire supervisors called Kobe Bryant crash scene pictures ‘plutonium’ and only ordered staff to ‘get rid of them’ when it emerged they were being shared around, trial hears
- Sky Cornell, of the LA County Fire Department, said an official had sent an email warning them about sharing pictures of the crash that killed Kobe Bryant
- Cornell said he got the photos from fellow PIO Tony Imbrenda, who admitted to sharing them during a 2020 journalism awards ceremony
- The graphic photos depicting human remains were described as ‘plutonium’ as Imbrenda allegedly warned Cornell to get rid of them
- Arlin Kahan, another fire official, claimed he took the photos that Imbrenda shared but said the pics were taken to document the crash
- Widow Vanessa Bryant’s attorney fired back and said it was not Kahan’s job to take pics of the crash that killed Bryant and daughter Gianna, 13
Los Angeles fire officials allegedly knew sharing graphic pictures of the crash that killed NBA star Kobe Bryant would land them in trouble as they were dubbed ‘plutonium’ and were ordered to be gotten rid of.
Sky Cornell, a public information officer for the LA County Fire Department, told a jury on Tuesday that first responders went into damage control after it became public that they shared photos of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, 41, and his daughter, Gianna, 13, in 2020.
Cornell, who had admitted to investigators that he ‘wanted to see Kobe’ as the pictures were being shared, said an official warned the department about what they were doing, TMZ reported.
‘Just a reminder folks, there are no secrets! One way or another people get exposed,’ the email read according to Cornell.
He added that colleague Tony Imbrenda, who admitted to sharing the photos at an awards gala, called the pictures ‘plutonium,’ and that he needed to ‘get rid of them.’
Sky Cornell, a public information officer for the LA County Fire Department said an official had sent an email warning them about sharing pictures of the crash that killed Kobe Bryant
Imbrenda, another public information officer, was grilled on Wednesday while testifying that he shared pictures of the helicopter crash during the 2020 Golden Mike awards ceremony, a journalism awards gala in Southern California.
Cornell claimed that’s when he first encountered the photos, none of which showed Bryant’s body but did depict other human remains.
Cornell told the court on Thursday that although the setting was not appropriate to share the graphic pictures, he claimed they were used as a ‘training’ opportunity.
Also testifying on Thursday was Arlin Kahan, another fire official, said he was the person who took the initial photos of the crash and sent them to Imbrenda, who Kahan described as ‘the one who controls the photos.’
Kahan claimed his photos were intended to document the scene of the crash, not to take photos of human remains.
Widow Vanessa Bryant’s attorney refuted the claim, suggesting it was a fire captain who took the photos of the crash for documentation purposes, not Kahan.
‘You weren’t even a first responder,’ the attorney said, according to Insider.
Kahan also claimed that it was his intent to delete the photos once the investigation was closed.
It’s the latest in the trial after Vanessa filed a lawsuit against the LA County fire department and the sheriff’s office for invasion of privacy after the images of the crash were shared by officers.
Fellow public information officer Tony Imbrenda (pictured) admitted to sharing pictures of the crash at a 2020 awards ceremony. He called the photos ‘plutonium
Earlier this week, LA Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Russell revealed he texted pictures of the wreckage to Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Sanchez a day after the incident.
Russell said he was playing the popular Call of Duty shooting game with Sanchez when he told the deputy he had photos of the crime scene that he allegedly got from fellow LA Deputy Joey Cruz, TMZ reported.
During his testimony, Russell also admitted to making errors when he originally told investigators that he shared the photos while he was working, and that the images didn’t depict bodily remains.
‘I made mistakes,’ he told the court, adding that he did not receive any disciplinary action for sharing the graphic photos.
Cruz also testified on Tuesday, admitting he showed off photos of the crash to a bartender to ‘relieve the stress’ he had been dealing with from the case.
On Monday, Brian Jordan, a retired LA County firefighter, claimed he was ordered by his superiors to take photos of the helicopter crash site – orders the fire chiefs deny ever issuing.
Jordan denied sending the images to anyone outside the sheriff’s or fire departments, but at times appeared confused about events.
Brian Jordan, a retired LA County firefighter, claimed he was ordered by his superiors to take photos of the deadly helicopter crash site (pictured)
Jordan denied sending the images to anyone outside the sheriff’s or fire departments
The former firefighter told the court repeatedly he does not ‘really remember being at the accident’ and does not ‘remember what was up there.’
Luis Li, Vanessa’s attorney, asked why the laptop he handed in was missing its hard drive, and Jordan replied he was unaware of what had happened.
‘I have no clue,’ Jordan said, but added: ‘I did not manipulate any devices.’
Asked if he’d photographed Gianna Bryant’s remains, he said, according to Law and Crime: ‘I don’t even know who that is.’
He added: ‘I don’t know what I was photographing. I’m here because of false allegations, so please refrain from taking my brain back to that crash.’
During his two-hour testimony, Jordan asked to be excused from the witness stand three times, citing the emotional trauma.
Brian Jordan, a retired firefighter, is seen on Monday testifying in Los Angeles about photos he took of the crash site in Calabasas. We walked off the stand three times
Vanessa Bryant (right) filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages from both the fire department and sheriff’s office over the alleged misconduct
Jordan insisted Anthony Marrone, the then-deputy chief, who since August 1 this year has been acting chief, told him to take the photos.
‘He said, ‘Take pictures, take pictures, take pictures,’ Jordan said, and described a stairwell he and Marrone were standing in when the order was given.
Jordan added: ‘Maybe that’s the one time I should have been insubordinate.’ Marrone, in a sworn testimony provided in August 2020, denied instructing Jordan to take photos.
He said he instructed everyone not to photograph any crash victims ‘as taking such photographs would neither be right nor appropriate.’
Vanessa Bryant is seeking unspecified damages from both the fire department and sheriff’s office.
The trial is expected to last another week.
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