Legendary basketball star, Kobe Bryant, 41, was killed in a helicopter crash along with his daughter, Gianna, 13, early Sunday, January 26, 2020. The helicopter was reported to be traveling in foggy conditions in the Calabasas region of northern LA county. The LA Times is reporting three other people were on board the Sikorsky S-76B when it went down in a fireball at around 10am.
According to the report in the LA Times, eyewitnesses reported some issues with the aircraft shortly before it went down.
Jerry Kocharian was standing outside the Church in the Canyon drinking coffee when he heard a helicopter unusually low struggling overhead. “It [didn’t] sound right and it was real low. I saw it falling and spluttering. But it was hard to make out as it was so foggy,” Kocharian said. The helicopter vanished into a cloud of fog and then there was a boom.
This devistating news is sending shocks throughout the sports community. Kobe was know as one of the greats of the game and will be sadly missed by many.
There is conflicting reporting at the moment regarding the total number killed in the crash. It is believed to be 5 people, but that total may not include pilots or crew members. Some news sources have reported the number of deceased to be 9. We will be updating the story as more information is available.
UPDATE: 9 people were killed in the crash.