Transcript
On Sunday at 2:24 PM Eastern time, TMZ posted the story that stunned the world: basketball legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash.
The story quickly swept across the nation and the world.
It also upset Los Angeles police who say TMZ reported the story so fast, authorities didn’t even have time to notify the family members of the victims.
During the press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva took a swipe at TMZ when explaining to reporters why he would not yet confirm the identities of those who were aboard the helicopter when it crashed.
He said “It would be extremely disrespectful to understand that your loved one perished and you learned about it from TMZ. That is just wholly inappropriate.”
Los Angeles County undersheriff Tim Murakami also jabbed at TMZ in a tweet by saying “I understand getting the scoop but please allow us time to make personal notifications to the loved ones. It’s very cold to hear the loss via media. Breaks my heart.”
A representative for TMZ, which is owned by Warner media, CNN’s parent company, did not respond to questions for comments.