A former Los Angeles County fire fighter has said a deputy chief told him to take pictures of the scene of Kobe Bryant’s death, a report has said.
Brian Jordan appeared in court on Monday when he said then-deputy fire chief Anthony Marrone instructed him to take photos of the helicopter crash that killed Bryant.
The NBA star’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, claims in a court case that LA County officials wrongfully took pictures of the crash scene, which were allegedly shared with unauthorised persons, and that doing so had caused her harm.
“He said, ’Take pictures, take pictures, take pictures,” Mr Jordan said of the senior LA County fire chief from the day of the crash, according to Law&Crime. He later added: “Maybe that’s the one time I should have been insubordinate.”
Aside from the detail about allegedly being asked to take pictures, Mr Jordan did not provide details about taking photos on the day of the helicopter crash and excused himself from the witness stand three times, CNN reported.
“The only reason I’m sitting here is because someone threw my name into this whole thing,” the retired fire fighter was reported as saying.
The first break in his testimony came when Mr Jordan was asked if Bryant’s remains had been included in the pictures taken and allegedly shared by fire officials, following which Mr Jordan said “Sorry your honor” and took a break from the stand with his attorney.
Asked later about taking pictures of Gianna Bryant, the NBA star’s daughter who was also killed in the crash, Mr Jordan reportedly told Ms Bryant’s attorneys: “I don’t even know who that is...sorry for your loss...I don’t know what I was photographing.”
CNN reported that when Mr Jordan was asked about taking photos of specific body parts, he responded by saying that the scene would “ haunt me forever, and excuse me cause I’m about to take another break.”
He added following his return to the courtroom that he tried blocking the day of the helicopter crash from his memory and did not remember taking photos – only being asked to take them.
His attorney, Steven Haney, told CNN that his client needed to break from the witness stand because of a “medical condition associated with his viewing of the crash scene and it causes him to suffer trauma.”
Law&Crime reported that Mr Marrone, now acting LA County fire chief, said in an internal report last year that he instructed his colleagues not to photograph any crash victims “as taking such photographs would neither be right nor appropriate” following media reports of the existence of such photos.
The trial has seen Ms Bryant walk out of the courtroom in tears after a bartender appeared as a witness and described being shown images, including of Gianna, by a Los Angeles County Sheriff when he was not authorised to do so.
LA County officials deny wrongdoing in the case and say taking photographs at the crash was a part of a routine response and documentation work, although have acknowledged that the sheriff who was caught sharing photos of the crash site with others was wrong to do so.
