An alleged photo of 20-year-old singer Rihanna, bruised and beaten after reportedly being attack by her boyfriend Chris Brown has surfaced on the Internet and is taking the entertainment industry by storm.
The photo, which was released by TMZ, is part of the LAPD’s investigation into the case – and was not (under any circumstances) supposed to be released to the public.
Due to the nature of the case – and respect towards Rihanna and her family, we refuse to post the photo, but some sites on the Internet have posted it for their visitors to view.
The picture is very disturbing and shows almost all of Rihanna’s face swollen. As PerezHilton pointed out, the photo was taken soon after the incident, meaning the bruises hadn't even swollen fully or begun to show color. The LAPD is not happy with the release of the photo and has issued the following statement:
“The unauthorized release of a domestic violence photograph immediately generated an internal investigation.
"The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence."
Police went on to say that they “began receiving numerous inquiries about the release of a photograph associated with a domestic violence incident that occurred on February 8, 2009, involving entertainer Chris Brown."
We hope Rihanna is taking time to heal, physically and emotionally. And we hope Chris Brown gets the punishment he deserves!
Check out what everyone else is saying about the photo at DayMix.com: