A former Los Angeles County fire captain got up from the witness stand and left the courtroom three times on Monday during testimony in the civil trial over photos taken of Kobe Bryant’s remains after a deadly 2020 helicopter crash.
Brian Jordan, who retired from the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2021, was reluctant to revisit the Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, when asked by Bryant’s widow’s attorney to recall events from that day. An attorney for Jordan told CNN that his client suffers from “a medical condition associated with his viewing of the crash scene” that causes him “trauma.”
KOBE BRYANT CRASH PHOTOS: LA DEPUTY SHOCKINGLY SAYS HE DOESN’T REGRET TAKING PICS OF REMAINS
“I need a break, I need a break,” Jordan said on the witness stand when asked by Vanessa Bryant’s attorney if Kobe Bryant’s remains were among the crash site photos he took. “Sorry, your honor,” Jordan said as he got up from the witness stand for the first of three times.
Jordan repeatedly said on Monday that he did not remember taking photographs and has blocked the day of the helicopter crash out of his memory since retiring.
Vanessa Bryant’s attorney claims Jordan was led by a sheriff’s deputy around the crash scene to take photos of the wreckage and human remains.
“The way the whole scene looked, that’s going to haunt me forever, and excuse me ’cause I’m about to take another break,” Jordan said when asked about photos of specific body parts that he allegedly took.
Jordan claimed a supervisor asked him to take site photography for the fire department.
“Maybe that was the day I should have been insubordinate,” Jordan said on the stand.
The federal civil lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant alleges that Los Angeles County invaded her privacy and failed to contain the spread of photos taken by first responders at the crash site, causing her to fear that photos of her husband’s remains could surface on the internet. She is seeking undisclosed damages amid claims of civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress, and violation of privacy.
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Photographs from the crash site were allegedly shared between several first responders and shown to a bartender.
Los Angeles County claimed the crash site photography was necessary and that the photos taken were adequately contained from spreading and thus have never appeared online.
