Los Angeles policeman regrets sharing Kobe Bryant crash photos with bartender

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow, is seeking damages from Los Angeles County over sharing of helicopter crash site pictures

Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna at the WNBA All Star Game in July 2019, six months before they died in a helicopter crash in California. USA Today Sports

Bryant celebrates with Gianna after the Lakers' 99-86 defeat of Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the NBA finals in Orlando. Orlando Sentinel / AP

A mural of Bryant and Gianna by artist Mr Brainwash in Los Angeles. Getty

Bryant sinks a shot in the closing seconds against Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 NBA Finals, in Los Angeles. AP

Bryant, holding the championship trophy, celebrates with teammates Rick Fox, Lindsey Hunter and Shaquille O'Neal in 2002. AP

Bryant and Glen Keane accept the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for 'Dear Basketball'. Reuters

O'Neal and Bryant in 2004. Getty

Bryant walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against Utah Jazz at Staples Centre in Los Angeles. AFP

A man touches a statue in memory of Bryant and Gianna in Calabasas, California, where their helicopter crashed. AP

Flowers next to a mural of Bryant in Los Angeles. EPA

Bryant dunks on the way to the US winning the gold medal against Spain at the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Reuters

Bryant talks with USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski during an Olympic team practice. AP

LeBron James greets Bryant on the court. AP

A woman looks up at a mural of Bryant and Gianna in Los Angeles. AP

Kobe Bryant celebrates after scoring 60 points in his last NBA game at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on April 13, 2016. AFP

LA Lakers' Bryant flashes the victory sign at a parade in downtown Los Angeles. AP

A municipal basketball court in Los Angeles was painted with an image of Bryant. Reuters

Bryant and Gianna watch the US national championships swimming meet in Irvine, California. AP

Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia and Gianna Bryant at the world premiere of 'A Wrinkle in Time' in Los Angeles. AP

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant arrive at the 2018 Oscars in Los Angeles. AP

A police officer in Los Angeles, California, has expressed regret over sharing photos with a bartender of the site where Kobe Bryant and his daughter died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

“I took it too far and did something I shouldn’t have,” Joey Cruz, a deputy in training at the time of the crash, told a Los Angeles federal jury.

Mr Cruz said he was “stressed and overwhelmed” while speaking to the bartender, whom he said is a close friend.

The officer's evidence came on the fourth day of a trial in which Vanessa Bryant, Bryant's widow, is seeking damages from Los Angeles County over the sharing of the crash site photos.

Los Angeles County claims the photos were part of the photography needed to conduct an investigation into the crash and that it had successfully prevented them from surfacing online.

The jury has heard that police deputies and fire department officials shared photos showing Bryant's remains, as well as those of his daughter, Gianna, and the seven others who were killed when the helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, a community north of Los Angeles.

Deputy Rafael Mejia said he had shared the photos with Mr Cruz and another trainee. In a logged conversation between him and another deputy, he said that “not a single person was intact” at the crash site.

“Looking back now, I absolutely wouldn’t do it again,” Mr Mejia said. He added that they had wanted the photos for their depiction of the scene of the crash, not to see the victim's remains.

“We wanted to know what was up there because we weren’t there,” he said.

Brian Jordan, a former fire captain, had to walk out of the witness box several times while giving evidence on Monday during questions about whether he had taken photos of Bryant's remains. Mr Jordan resisted questions that took him back to the day of the crash, citing stress.

Lawyers for Ms Bryant said Mr Jordan was led around to take site photography of the scene of the crash. Mr Jordan, who retired in 2021, claimed he did not remember taking photographs because he had blocked that day from his memory.

Bloomberg contributed to this report