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A former Los Angeles fire captain got up and left the witness stand three times while being questioned during testimony for the civil trial over photos taken of Kobe Bryant's remains after the fatal helicopter crash, CNN reports.
On Monday (August 15), ex-fire captain Brian Jordan resisted questions from Bryant's widow's attorney that forced him to recall events from the day of the January 26, 2020 helicopter crash that killed the NBA superstar, his daughter Gianni, and seven others.
Jordan repeatedly said Monday that he didn't remember taking photos, citing that he had blocked the day of the crash out of his memory since retiring from the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2021.
His attorney also told CNN that the former captain suffers from "trauma" due to "a medical condition associated with his viewing of the crash scene."
"Kobe Bryant's remains were among the pictures?" Vanessa Bryant's attorney Luis Li asked Jordan, referencing the photos of the crash site.
"I need a break, I need a break," Jordan said as he left the witness stand for the first of three times. "Sorry, your honor."
Li claims that Jordan was directed by a sheriff's deputy to take photos of the wreckage and human remains at the crash scene.
"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 responded when questioned about taking photos of specific body parts.
According to Jordan, 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 testimony comes amid Vanessa Bryant's federal civil lawsuit that accuses Los Angeles County of invading her privacy and failing to contain the spread of photos taken by first responders at the crash sight.
She is seeking undisclosed damages on allegations of civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress, and violation of privacy.
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