Several employees of Los Angeles County are on the hot seat as the lawsuit regarding the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site photos grinds into its third day. Several witnesses are now giving conflicting statements regarding their recollection of the nature of the photos.

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Vanessa, and seven others were killed on Jan 26, 2020, when their helicopter crashed into a foggy Calabassas hillside while en route to a basketball tournament.

The lawsuit was filed by Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, and another party after it was revealed that several sheriff deputies took gruesome pictures and one deputy distributed them at a firefighters gala at the Hilton Hotel.

While on the stand, LA County Sheriff’s Deputy Rafal Mejia provided a different account from what he said in a previous interview. Two years ago, Mejia was clear when he stated the photos he received showed body parts. When questioned on the stand by Bryant’s lawyer, Luis Li, he said he didn’t remember what was on the photos.

Los Angeles County Fire Captain Brian Jordan also changed his testimony from a previous deposition. In his initial interview, Jordan admitted that he was at the crash scene. While on the stand, he claimed he has no recollection due to a memory lapse.

Johnson, who also seemed flustered throughout his testimony, fled the witness stand on at least three occasions.

The lawyers for Bryant and Chester stipulate in the lawsuit that what the deputies did was a brazen act of invasion of privacy. Chester lost his wife and daughter in the crash.

Retired LAPD Lieutenant Adam Bercovici, who is now a consultant, said that this type of behavior is not uncommon. Actually, it is widespread and often memorialized by photos, especially when it involves celebrities.

The county has already settled and paid $2.5 million to the family of two other relatives who died.