Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old Gianna Bryant will forever live in the hearts of their surviving family members.
Ahead of her winter formal, the NBA legend’s oldest daughter, Natalia Diamante Bryant, paid tribute to her late father and sister by taking a photo in front of one of the many murals of the duo in Los Angeles.
Vanessa Bryant shared the pic to Instagram on Sunday, captioning it:
“❤️my babies. Natalia. #winterformal #together #family”
The 17-year-old looks all glammed up in the snap, rocking a blue and white printed dress and a beautiful smile while she poses with the painting depicting Kobe kissing Gigi on the head. See the pic in full (below):
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fQ8bWjxyA/
As fans know by now, the Lakers icon and his third-youngest daughter were among nine people who died in a fatal helicopter crash on January 26 in Calabasas, California.
It was only last week that Vanessa’s legal team spoke out about the horrific allegation that gruesome photographs were taken at the crash site. Her legal counsel, Gary C. Robb, issued a statement on her behalf, which she shared on Instagram. In it, he slams the “inexcusable and deplorable” deputies who allegedly shared these photos, saying:
“Our client, Vanessa Bryant, is absolutely devastated by allegations that deputies from the Lost Hills Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department publicly disseminated photos from the helicopter crash site.”
The message continued:
“Mrs. Bryant personally went to the Sheriff’s office on January 26th and requested that the area be designated a no-fly zone and protected from photographers. This was of critical importance to her as she desired to protect the dignity of all the victims, and their families. At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families’ privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests.”
Unfortunately, a report shared photographs were taken of the victims’ bodies at the site by someone as a way to “impress a girl.”
“First responders should be trustworthy. It is inexcusable and deplorable that some deputies from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s substation, other surrounding substations and LAFD would allegedly breach their duty. This is an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families. We are demanding that those responsible for these alleged actions face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated. We are requesting an Internal Affairs investigation of these alleged incidents. Mrs. Bryant is grateful to the individual who filed an online complaint exposing these acts of injustice, and for the choice to protect human dignity.
Since the statement went up, the Los Angeles County Sheriff has reportedly identified eight officers who shared the images. Calling it a “punch to the gut,” Villanueva stated in a press conference:
“It was such a hard scene, dealing with the families first hand at Lost Hills station. All three families were there except for the pilot’s family. They were all present and we’re reassuring them we’re doing everything possible and then to find out, you know, days later that this happened… it’s just a sense of betrayal.”
The eight deputies are being investigated, and in an interview with NBC’s Today Show, he later added:
“I am devastated and heartbroken by the conduct of those first responders who had the responsibility to protect the dignity and privacy of the victims who perished in the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas.”
What a horrible thing to have to go through when you’re already mourning the loss of family members.
Hopefully Vanessa and her girls can heal through this together as they continue to honor the ones they lost.
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