New York Daily News

‘Kobe Act’ outlaws pix of dead vics

- BY NANCY DILLON

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved a new privacy law stemming from the horrific helicopter crash that killed Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in January.

The bill signed Monday makes it illegal for first responders to take unauthoriz­ed photos of deceased people at the scene of an accident or crime.

“Proud to report that my bill, The #KobeBryant Act of 2020, was signed today by @GavinNewso­m,” Assemblyma­n Mike Gipson said in a Twitter post.

It will prohibit first responders from taking photos of the deceased outside of job duties,” said Gipson, who represents portions of South Los Angeles.

The legislatio­n was prompted by reports that eight Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shared graphic photos of the victims of the aviation accident that claimed the NBA superstar (inset), his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said his agency had a policy against taking and sharing crime scene photos but that it did not apply to accident investigat­ions.

Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, filed a lawsuit last week saying she was physically “ill” over the thought of strangers “gawking” at images showing the bodies of her loved ones.

The beloved basketball player, who was 41, was traveling with Gianna, two other eighth-grade girls and their family members to a youth basketball tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif., the morning of the Jan. 26 crash.

Their doomed chopper encountere­d dense fog along the way and crashed, killing all nine people onboard.

Vanessa said she was “devastated and distraught” as she met with Villanueva at the sheriff’s station in Lost Hills that day. She said the sheriff personally assured her “deputies were securing the crash site” as crowds gathered nearby.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States