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Vanessa Bryant IDs LA County deputies: Who are the four cops who took photos of Kobe Bryant and Gigi's remains?

The wife of the former basketball star posted 12 pages of court documents on Instagram naming the cops who took photos of her husband and daughter

Vanessa Bryant, the wife of former basketball star Kobe Bryant has revealed the names of the cops who shared images of Kobe's remains. She posted 12 pages of her lawsuit filed in the Central District of California Court on Instagram, publicly naming the officers involved. After Kobe and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, the cops allegedly took photos of the remains and shared them with others. 

The cops, who are with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), were forced to delete the pictures from their personal devices by Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Vanessa filed the lawsuit in September 2020 for an "invasion of privacy" and "infliction of emotional distress". On March 8, 2021, US District Court Judge John F Walter ruled that the names of those accused could be made public. 

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Vanessa's released documents name four cops — Joey Cruz, Rafael Mejia, Michael Russell, and Raul Versales. Here's what we know about them.

Who are the cops?

Joey Cruz is a trainee deputy with the Sheriff's Department. Apart from taking photos, he is also accused of sharing the images with members of the public in January 2020. Days after the crash, Cruz showed the images to a bartender in Norwalk, who then boasted about them to other patrons. One of the patrons filed a complaint with the Sheriff's Department, sparking off the alleged cover-up. 

Rafael Mejia joined the Juvenile Intervention Team of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Department in 2019, according to a Malibu Times report. He is suspected to have obtained the photos from the makeshift command post at Los Virgenes Water District. According to the lawsuit, Mejia sent the photos to Cruz "without any legitimate governmental purpose". In 2016, Mejia received an exemplary performance award at the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff (ALADS) banquet. 

Michael Russell, the third accused, is attached to the Santa Clarita station. He is accused of sending the photos to a friend via text messaging. Raul Versales was also posted at the makeshift command post at Los Virgenes Water District. According to the lawsuit, he is suspected to be the origin of the photos, first sending them to Mejia. 

Beyond the statements made in the lawsuit, not much is known about the four cops. The LASD has not released any other information or personnel files. It is also unclear if the cops have been suspended at this time. 

Lawyers for the Sheriff's Department argued that the names of the accused should not be made public because "someone might break into one of the deputies' private social media or internet accounts and obtain copies of the photos." However, Judge Walter ruled that the argument "is totally inconsistent with their position that such photographs no longer exist."

'Exposing these folks and rightfully so'

Social media users have cheered on Vanessa's move, celebrating the publication of the names of the cops involved. One user tweeted, "Vanessa Bryant is really exposing these folks and rightfully so. This is sickening. How you just at a bar showing pictures off of deceased children and their families. These cops should absolutely lose their jobs they did everything but protect the victims of this tragedy."

Another said, "Vanessa Bryant is not playing around tonight on Instagram. I am here for it." Another user tweeted, "Vanessa Bryant is the wife / life partner we all need! Even after death she’s holding down her husband and holding everyone accountable! For better or for worse."

"This is insane. Vanessa Bryant is 100% right, those cops need to pay!!!" a user said. Another commented, "Good for Vanessa Bryant. Those cops don't deserve to be able to hide. Disgusting."