When TMZ reported the stunning news that Kobe Bryant had died in an accident, many people thought that the celebrity-gossip outlet was mistaken.
According to CNN, it had only been an hour since police were even notified of a downed aircraft, so while they were still assessing the scene and trying to identify the passengers of the helicopter, the story was shared on TMZ’s website and social media accounts.
It immediately spread like wildfire, but investigators were less than thrilled with the news break.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva held a press conference where he criticized the outlet.
“It would be extremely disrespectful to understand that your loved one… perished and you learn about it from TMZ,” Villanueva stated. “That is just wholly inappropriate.”
Los Angeles County Undersheriff Tim Murakami expressed his disapproval in a tweet.
Flip the page to see the tweet and more:
