9:11 AM PT -- We're told the Sheriff's Dept. has known about this for 3 weeks. The trainee who showed the photos to a woman in a bar did so a few days after the crash.
8:01 AM PT -- We're told the gruesome photos were also passed around by members of the L.A. County Fire Dept. and we're told that Dept. is now investigating.
7:21 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, multiple L.A. County Sheriff's deputies who responded to the crash scene took photos that included remains. We're told one of the deputies -- a trainee -- took photos and at some point went to a bar and, as one source put it, "He tried to impress a girl by showing her the photos." We're told the bartender overheard the conversation and filed an online complaint with the Sheriff's Dept.
We're also told the cell phone photos were passed around at the Lost Hills Sheriff's substation -- the first responders to the crash. Sources say deputies from other substations around L.A. County also took cell phone photos.
Some L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies shared photos of the scene where Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gigi, and 7 others lost their lives ... and the photos included remains from the gruesome aftermath ... TMZ has confirmed.
It's not clear who took the photos, but it was being talked about by first responders just 2 days after the crash, this according to the L.A. Times.
And, according to the report, at least one L.A. County Sheriff's official had the photos on his cell phone "in a setting that had nothing to do with the investigation."
The report does not say who took the photos and how many deputies and officials at the Sheriff's Dept. saw or shared the photos.
The Sheriff's Dept. contacted families of all of the victims Wednesday ... an official told The Times the reason for contacting them was not because of the allegation but rather because there was a media inquiry over the allegation.
The Sheriff's Department would only say, "The matter is being looked into."
Originally Published -- 5:07 AM PT