LOS ANGELES — When questioned on the witness stand about the close-up photos he took with his cellphone of Kobe Bryant's body and those of other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Johnson said he was doing his job.
"I know I didn't do anything wrong," Johnson testified, adding that he'd do it all over again the same way.
Johnson's testimony came during the trial in federal court brought by Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester, who lost his wife and daughter in the crash. On Wednesday, jurors delivered Bryant and Chester a quick, resounding victory, ordering L.A. County to pay them $31 million for the distress sheriff's deputies and firefighters caused by taking and sharing graphic photos of the crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others.
