Finger pushing
loader-image
weather icon 75°F


Victims of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash: Who they were

CALABASAS, Calif. — Investigators worked Monday on a rugged hillside outside Los Angeles where a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant and eight others crashed in foggy weather considered dangerous enough that local police departments had grounded their choppers.

About 20 investigators were on the scene where everyone aboard was killed Sunday morning in a wreck that left debris scattered over an area the size of a football field. The accident generated an outpouring of grief and shock around the world over the sudden loss of the all-time basketball great who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 41-year-old Bryant perished with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

Among those killed in the crash were John Altobelli, 56, longtime head coach of Southern California’s Orange Coast College baseball team; his wife, Keri; and daughter, Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Bryant’s daughter, said Altobelli’s brother, Tony, sports information director at the school.

Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley tweeted that the dead also included Christina Mauser, a girls basketball coach at a nearby elementary school. Her husband, Matt Mauser, said in a Facebook post: “My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash.”

The Los Angeles Times, through public sources, also identified the pilot as Ara Zobayan.

Two more, Orange County mother and daughter Sarah and Payton Chester, were identified by friends and family, according to the Times.

Gianna Bryant sits on the shoulders of her father, Kobe Bryant, as they attend the women's soccer match between the United States and China Thursday, April 10, 2014, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) (Lenny Ignelzi)
Gianna Bryant sits on the shoulders of her father, Kobe Bryant, as they attend the women’s soccer match between the United States and China Thursday, April 10, 2014, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) (Lenny Ignelzi)
Gianna Bryant sits on the shoulders of her father, Kobe Bryant, as they attend the women's soccer match between the United States and China Thursday, April 10, 2014, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) (Lenny Ignelzi)
Gianna Bryant sits on the shoulders of her father, Kobe Bryant, as they attend the women’s soccer match between the United States and China Thursday, April 10, 2014, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) (Lenny Ignelzi)


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests