AND WE’LL SEE HIS BID TO BECOME A
>> Conferen A
>> Conferen >>> THIS IS AN NBC SPECIAL
REPORT.
REPORT. HERE IS KATE SNOW.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON.
WE ARE COMING ON WITH AIR WITH
MORE ON THE DEATH OF KOBE
BRYANT.
BRYANT. HIS DAUGHTER AND OTHERS KILLED
IN A HELICOPTER CRASH.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE
ABOUT TO HOLD A PRESS
CONFERENCE.
CONFERENCE. LET’S LISTEN IN.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON.
MY NAME IS DARRELL OZBY, I’M THE
FIRE CHIEF OF THE LOS ANGELES
COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING
HERE TO TODAY’S BRIEFING OF THE
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT. TODAY, SHORTLY BEFORE 10:00 AT
9:47 A.M., THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
RECEIVED A
RECEIVED A POTENTIAL HELICOPTER DOWN AND A
BRUSHFIRE AT INTERSECTION OF LAS
VIRGENES ROAD AND WILLOW GLEN
STREET.
STREET. UPON ARRIVAL FIREFIGHTERS
DISCOVERED A BRUSHFIRE THAT
RESULTED FROM THE CRASH ON THE
HILLSIDE.
HILLSIDE. THE LOS ANGELES FIRE
DEPARTMENT’S INITIAL RESPONSE
WAS 56 PERSONNEL THAT CONSISTED
OF PARAMEDICS, ENGINE COMPANY,
EVERY RESCUE, TRUCK COMPANY,
CREWS AND AIRCRAFT AND A CHIEF
OFFICER TO OVERSEE THE INCIDENT.
UPON ARRIVAL DURING THE
INCIDENT, UPON ARRIVALLE OF THE
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT OUR TWO
RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS ENTERED
INTO THE UNIFIED COMMAND TO
HANDLE THIS INCIDENT.
OUR FIR FIREFIGHTERS INDICATED
THIS WAS A BRUSHFIRE.
OUR FIREFIGHTERS HIKED INTO THE
SITE WITH THE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
AND HOSE LINES TO EXTINGUISH THE
FIRE AS IT INCLUDED THE
BRUSHFIRE, THE DEBRIS FROM THE
HELICOPTER AND THE FIRE ALSO
INCLUDED MAGNESIUM, WHICH IS
VERY HARD FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO
EXTINGUISH BECAUSE MAGNESIUM
REACTS WITH OXYGEN AND WATER.
AND IN ADDITION TO OUR
FIREFIGHTERS HIKING INTO THE
INCIDENT WE HAD ONE HELICOPTER
FLYING TO THE INCIDENT WITH
FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS ON BOARD
AND THEY WERE POINTED DOWN TO
THE INCIDENT EARLY INTO THE
INCIDENT.
INCIDENT. THEY DID A SEARCH OF THE AREA
FOR SURVIVORS.
FOR SURVIVORS. UNFORTUNATELY, ALL OF THE
SURVIVORS ON BOARD WERE
DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN
PERISHED.
PERISHED. THE FIREFIGHTERS AND HAND CREWS
WORKED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE
WHILE CAREFULLY PRESERVING THE
INCIDENT FOR INVESTIGATION.
CURRENTLY THE INVESTIGATION IS
ONGOING.
ONGOING. I WOULD LIKE TO TURN THIS OVER
TO MY SHERIFF TO CONTINUE THE
PRESS BRIEFING.
PRESS BRIEFING. >> THANK YOU, CHIEF OZBY.
PERSONNEL FROM LOS ANGELES FIRE
STATION RESPONDED TO THE SCENE
OF THE CRASH SITE.
AND SINCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
AND WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A
CONTAINMENT AREA AND NOW OUR
BUREAU HAS A HANDLE ON THE
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS WHEN IT’S A
FATALITY AND THEN IT SWITCHES TO
THE NTSB AND THE FEDERAL
AVIATION ADMINISTRATION.
AVIATION ADMINISTRATION. THE FAA.
THE FAA. THE FAA IS ALREADY ON SCENE AND
ASSISTING AND WE’RE AWAITING THE
ARRIVAL OF THE CORONER’S OFFICE
TO ASSIST IN THE RECOVERY OF THE
REMAINS.
REMAINS. THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS.
WE HAVE A MANIFEST THAT
INDICATES THAT THERE WAS NINE
PEOPLE ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT.
THE PILOT PLUS EIGHT
INDIVIDUALS.
INDIVIDUALS. THERE WAS WIDE SPECULATION AS TO
WHO THE IDENTITIES ARE, HOWEVER,
IT WOULD BE ENTIRELY
INAPPROPRIATE TO IDENTIFY
ANYBODY BY NAME UNTIL THE
CORONER HAS MADE THE
IDENTIFICATION THROUGH THEIR --
AND THEY MADE THE NOTIFICATIONS
TO THE NEXT OF KIN AND IT WOULD
BE EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL TO
LEARN THAT YOUR LOVED ONE
PERISHED FROM TMZ.
WE’LL LET THE CORONER DO HIS JOB
AND ASSISTING THE FAMILIES OF
THOSE WHO ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE
BEEN IMPACTED.
BEEN IMPACTED. IT’S A TOUGH PROCESS.
ALL THE FAMILY OF EVERYBODY ON
BOARD THIS AIRCRAFT GOD BLESS
THEIR SOULS.
THEIR SOULS. SO WE HAVE NOTHING THAT WE CAN
ADD UNTIL THE CORONER DOES THEIR
JOB.
JOB. WE’LL BE MAKING THE
NOTIFICATIONS WHEN WE HAVE THAT
INFORMATION AND WE KNOW THE NEXT
OF KIN HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.
THEY WILL BE NOTIFIED IN THE
SUBSEQUENT ANNOUNCEMENT.
SUBSEQUENT ANNOUNCEMENT. >> DO WE HAVE A CONFIRMATION
ACTUALLY OF NINE BODIES THERE
ANOTHER THE SCENE?
>> THAT IS OUR BELIEF, YES.
>> SO WE REALIZE AT THIS POINT
THERE ARE SO MANY QUESTIONS,
THERE’S LOT OF INFORMATION OUT
THERE.
THERE. AND WE UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW,
THERE’S A LOT OF INFORMATION
EXPLODING BUT WE HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY AND OBLIGATION
OUT OF RESPECT OF COURSE TO THE
FAMILY AND THIS IS A VERY
DIFFICULT TIME FOR THE CITY.
WE HAVE THE MAYOR OF CAL --
CALABASAS AND FOR THOSE WHO WANT
TO GATHER HERE, IF YOU DO, YOU
ARE WELCOME TO JOIN OTHERS AT
THE PARK HERE IN
Bureau we’ll be sending out
updates as to a win there will
AND ALSO LAS VIRGENES.
WE WILL BE SENDING OUT UPDATES
IF THERE’S A PRESS ADVISORY OUT,
A NOTIFICATION OF ANOTHER PRESS
CONFERENCE ON THE TWITTER AND
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
TODAY.
TODAY. AGAIN, THEY FOR YOUR TIME.
>> ALL RIGHT, A VERY BRIEF PRESS
CONFERENCE THERE IN CALABASAS,
CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA. THE SITE OF THE HELICOPTER
ACCIDENT THIS MORNING IN THE
HILLS.
HILLS. WE AT NBC NEWS HAVE CONFIRMED
THAT KOBE BRYANT THE FORMER NBA
STAR, THE 20 YEAR MEMBER OF THE
LAKERS WAS ON BOARD THAT
HELICOPTER.
HELICOPTER. WE JUST LEARNED NOW FROM THE
L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF THERE THERE
WERE NINE PEOPLE ON BOARD.
THAT DIFFERS FROM WHAT WE HAD
HEARD EARLIER IN THE DAY.
SO PRESUMABLY KOBE BRYANT, PLUS
EIGHT OTHERS.
EIGHT OTHERS. STEVE PATTERSON IS IN CALABASAS
NEAR THE CRASH SITE AND HE JOINS
US NOW.
US NOW. STEVE, I KNOW THERE’S A CROWD
GATHERED THERE.
GATHERED THERE. YOU COULD UNDERSTAND WHEN THE
AUTHORITIES JUST SAID THEY’RE
NOT GOING TO GET AHEAD OF THE
STORY.
STORY. THEY WON’T GET AHEAD OF
NOTIFYING THE FAMILIES.
THIS IS SO HEART BREAKING FOR SO
MANY FAMILIES RIGHT NOW.
>> IT’S AN INCREDIBLE THING,
KATE AND SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE
GATHERED HERE BECAUSE I THINK
LIKE EVERYBODY ACROSS THE
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, IT’S HARD TO
GET A HANDLE AND YOUR HEAD
AROUND THE FACT THAT THAT
HELICOPTER CRASHED CONTAINING
ONE OF OUR TRUE LEGENDS THERE’S
A CROWD HERE OF ONLOOKERS,
OBVIOUSLY LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE
NATIONAL MEDIA DOING ALL THEY
CAN TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION
AS POSSIBLE.
AS POSSIBLE. BUT MOST PEOPLE HAVE GATHERED
HERE MOST OF THE DAY IN STUNNED
SILENCE JUST KIND OF GAZING UP.
THAT IS BECAUSE THE SCENE IS
STILL QUITE VISIBLE.
YOU CAN SEE IT OFF IN THE
DISTANCE.
DISTANCE. THOSE ARE THE HILLS THERE UP
NEAR THE SCENE.
CALABASAS AS WE REMAIN HERE.
THE SMOKE RISING INTO THE
HILLSIDE.
HILLSIDE. THAT’S THE WRECKAGE OF WHERE THE
HELICOPTER CRASHED.
HELICOPTER CRASHED. WE SAW WHAT APPEARED ON THE
TEAMS OF INVESTIGATORS COMBING
THROUGH THAT WRECKAGE AS THE
CROWD HAS GATHERED BEFORE DOWN
HERE.
HERE. A LOT OF FOLKS HERE OBVIOUSLY
ARE PEOPLE THAT JUST WANTED TO
SEE THIS.
SEE THIS. WANTED TO SEE FOR THEMSELVES.
SO YOU HAVE GOT PEOPLE WEARING
KOBE BRYANT JERSEYS.
WEARING LAKERS HATS.
A LOT OF THEM WEARING TEARS ON
THEIR FACE THOUGH.
I SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE THAT
ARE JUST SPASMING WITH SOBS BOTH
FOR THE NEWS OF KOBE BRYANT AND
THEN LATER FOR THE NEWS OF HIS
DAUGHTER THAT NBC NEWS IS
CONFIRMING.
CONFIRMING. SO IT’S JUST A SCENE OF SADNESS
HERE, DISBELIEF.
HERE, DISBELIEF. AS EVERYONE IS JUST AWAITING
MORE AND MORE INFORMATION.
THIS CROWD HAS BEEN HERE FOR
HOURS NOW.
HOURS NOW. AND MAKE THEY CONTINUE TO GATHER
HERE.
HERE. ESSENTIALLY JUST LOOKING UP AT
WHAT’S LEFT IN THAT HILLSIDE AND
MANY OF THEM JUST IN SUCH
DISBELIEF OF WHAT’S HAPPENED
HERE.
HERE. IT IS TRULY A SURREAL SITE.
KATE?
KATE? >> STEVE PATTERSON ON THE SCENE
FOR US.
FOR US. STEVE JUST MENTIONED THIS, NBC
NEWS HAS CONFIRMED UNFORTUNATELY
THAT ONE OF THE OTHER PEOPLE ON
BOARD WAS THE 13-YEAR-OLD
DAUGHTER OF KOBE BRYANT.
GIANNA.
GIANNA. I KNOW HE HAS BEEN COACHING HER
BASKETBALL TEAM.
BASKETBALL TEAM. HE’S BEEN VERY INVOLVED NOT JUST
WITH HER BASKETBALL TEAM, BUT
WITH OTHER YOUTH.
HE RUNS A WHOLE CENTER NEARBY
WHERE YOU’RE STANDING.
THAT IS, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST
BASKETBALL COURTS BUT CLINICS
AND ALL KINDS OF TRAINING FOR
YOUNG ATHLETES.
YOUNG ATHLETES. >> KOBE WAS VERY INVOLVED AND
INVESTED TO THE FUTURE NOT ONLY
OF THE NBA BUT OF THE CITY, BUT
OF THE COUNTRY.
HE WAS VERY INVOLVED AS YOU
MENTIONED WITH HIS DAUGHTER.
THE LASTING IMAGES WE’LL HAVE OF
THE LAST FEW IMAGES OF KOBE
BRYANT ARE NOT OF HIM DRIBBLING
OR SHOOTING OR POSTING UP OR
SCORING A THREE.
THEY’RE GOING TO BE HIM WITH HIS
DAUGHTER ON THE SIDELINES
COACHING HER, TEACHING HER.
TRAINING HER.
TRAINING HER. HE WOULD OFTEN BRING HER UP
DURING THE INTERVIEWS.
IT WAS OBVIOUSLY THE SOURCE OF
WHERE HE WAS GOING WAS OBVIOUSLY
HIS ROLE AS A PARENT, BUT AS A
COACH.
COACH. AND AS SOMEBODY THAT WAS GOING
TO CARRY ON THIS MESSAGE OF HOPE
AND, YOU KNOW, CARRYING THE GAME
FORWARD IN A WAY THAT HE PLAYED
IT.
IT. I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE SO
POWERFUL FOR SO MANY PEOPLE AND
THAT’S THE WAY PEOPLE AS WE HAVE
BEEN SPEAKING TO THEM IN THESE
CROWDS ARE NOW REMEMBERING KOBE.
NOT AS THE AGGRESSIVE PLAYER
WHICH HE WAS, BUT AS A TEACHER.
AS SOMEBODY THAT WAS WISE AND
THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY INVESTED IN
THE COMMUNITY.
THE COMMUNITY. INVESTED IN LOS ANGELES HERE
TOO.
TOO. >> THANK YOU.
FAMOUS FANS AND FRIENDS ARE
TWEETING, THEY HAVE BEEN ALL
AFTERNOON ABOUT WHAT KOBE BRYANT
MEANT TO THEM.
JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, FORMER
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TWEETED
HIS CONDOLENCES, LOSING HIS
DAUGHTER IS MORE HEART BREAKING
TO US AS PARENTS.
WE SEND LOVE AND PRAYERS TO
VANESSA AND THE ENTIRE BRYANT
FAMILY ON AN UNTHINKABLE DAY.
THE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT TRUMP
ALSO TWEETED THIS IS TERRIBLE
NEWS.
NEWS. NBC SPORTS HOST MIKE TIRICO IS
WITH US.
WITH US. YOU KNEW KOBE BRYANT.
YOU KNEW HIS ASTONISHING LEGACY.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT WHAT IS BEING
REMEMBERED.
REMEMBERED. >> KATE, A LOT OF ALL OF THE
THINGS THAT STEVE WAS DISCUSSING
FOR THIS CHAPTER IN KOBE’S LIFE
THAT WAS UNFOLDING, BECOMING A
MENTOR.
MENTOR. BEING INVOLVED IN THE AU TEAM,
THE PREPARATORY TEAM FOR HIS
DAUGHTER.
DAUGHTER. AND TRAVELING TO DIFFERENT
TOURNAMENTS AS GIANNA AT AGE 13
HAD HER BURGEONING BASKETBALL
CAREER.
CAREER. THAT LOVE OF BASKETBALL HAS
BROUGHT KOBE BACK TO NBA ARENAS
AND THOSE ARE SOME OF THE IMAGES
THAT YOU WERE JUST SHOWING ON
THE SCREEN THERE.
THE LEGACY OF THE BASKETBALL,
NOW FOURTH ON THE ALL-TIME
SCORING LIST JUST PASSED BY
LeBRON JAMES LAST NIGHT IN
PHILADELPHIA, WHERE HE BECAME AN
NBA LEGEND.
NBA LEGEND. FIVE TIMES A CHAMPION, TWICE AN
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST.
BUT IF ANYTHING STICKS OUT, I
WAS JUST ON THE PHONE EARLIER
WITH A MEMBER OF THE BASKETBALL
HALL OF FAME WHO POINTED THIS
OUT.
OUT. IT WAS KOBE’S MENTALITY.
THE EDGE THAT HE HAD, THE
RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF GREATNESS
PLAYING THROUGH PAIN, PLAYING
THROUGH INJURY AND PERSEVERING
THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES ON AND
OFF THE COURT WHICH IS A PART OF
WHO KOBE BRYANT WAS AND WHO HE
WAS TRYING TO BE IN TERMS OF AN
EXAMPLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
WHEN YOU TALK TO LeBRON JAMES OR
MANY OF THE PLAYERS RIGHT NOW,
THEIR EXAMPLE FOR HOW TO BE A
LEADER AND A STAR IN
PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL IS KOBE
BRYANT AND THE FEW NBA GAMES
THAT HAVE TIPPED OFF SINCE THIS
NEWS CAME OUT A FEW HOURS AGO
HAVE ALREADY SHOWN INCREDIBLE
OUTPOURING OF EMOTION AND MEMORY
FROM THE CURRENT NBA PLAYERS FOR
THIS PLAYER WHO RETIRED THREE
YEARS AGO, FOUR YEARS AGO
ALMOST.
ALMOST. BUT IS REALLY VERY MUCH STILL A
PART OF WHAT BASKETBALL IS
TODAY.
TODAY. >> MIKE, YOU MENTIONED AND JUST
YESTERDAY, I THINK KOBE BRYANT
SAID YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY FOR THE
PERSON THAT COMES AFTER YOU TO
SURPASS THE THINGS YOU HAVE BEEN
DONE THAT’S HIM SAYING I HAVE TO
PAY IT FORWARD, I HAVE TO MAKE
ROOM FOR THE NEWCOMERS, FOR THE
NEW STARS.
NEW STARS. >> AND IT’S OKAY FOR LeBRON
JAMES TO BREAK THAT RECORD AS HE
DID IN PHILADELPHIA WHERE AT
LOWER MERION HIGH SCHOOL KOBE
BRYANT ROSE TO THE LEVEL WHERE
HE WAS READY AS A 19-YEAR-OLD TO
JUMP DIRECTLY TO THE NBA.
HIS DAD PLAYED BASKETBALL.
SO IN LARGE PART WATCHING HIS
DAUGHTER’S BASKETBALL CAREER IN
ITS INFANT STAGES GROW WAS A
REMINDER IT WAS BEING PASSED
DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE
NEXT AND PASSED OVER FROM ONEND
TORE THE NEXT AS WELL.
AND THERE ARE MANY WNBA PLAYERS
AND PROMINENT WOMEN’S COLLEGE
PLAYERS WHO ARE POINTING OUT HOW
MUCH KOBE’S INVOLVEMENT IN THEIR
PART OF THE SPORT AND HIS
SUPPORT OF THEIR CAUSES WAS VERY
MUCH AT THE FOREFRONT OF THEIR
FIRST MEMORIES WHEN THEY HEARD
THAT KOBE BRYANT WAS NO LONGER
WITH US.
WITH US. >> MIKE TIRICO, SO GLAD TO HAVE
YOU WITH US THIS AFTERNOON TO
MAKE SENSE OUT OF THIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE’LL SEE YOU ON "NIGHTLY NEWS"
SHORTLY.
SHORTLY. KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR CALLED HIM
MAGNIFICENT AND SHAQUILLE O’NEAL
TWEETED SAID THERE’S NO WORDS TO
EXPRESS THE PAIN.
I’M SICK RIGHT NOW.
THE NTSB IS GOING TO TRY TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED THIS
TRAJEN