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In a statement issued Friday, Aug. 9, the family of Victoria Lee says Fort Lee officers misunderstood the events that left the 25-year-old Ridgewood native dead at The Pinnacle apartments on Sunday, July 28, could have handled it differently.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin previously said that Lee's brother called 9-1-1 saying she was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed to go to the hospital. Lee's brother also said his sister was holding a knife, Platkin said.
Responding officers found Lee talking to another woman inside of the apartment, and stood outside knocking, Platkin said. The officers forced their way in when the women did not comply, and as Lee approached the officers in the hallway, one officer fired a single round, striking Lee in the chest, Platkin said.
Officers rendered aid before Lee was taken to Englewood Hospital, and pronounced dead at approximately 1:58 a.m. A knife was recovered at the scene.
Lee had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder II in 2017, her family said. Her disorder posed multiple challenges, and she ultimately decided to withdraw from college in 2021.
"Since then, she managed her condition through work, travel, and music," the family said. "In January 2023, she moved to an apartment in Fort Lee to seek a change of environment and had been working at a music studio in Manhattan until her passing."
WARNING: The following news story contains graphic information that many may find disturbing
Lee was exhibiting particularly unusual behavior just before her family called 9-1-1: She was rolling on the bed, briefly shouting, and lightly tapping her head against the wall around 1 a.m., her family said.
"Recognizing the signs of distress, Victoria's mother, Mrs. Lee, suggested that Victoria go to the hospital, but Victoria refused," the family said. "Concerned, Mrs. Lee asked her son, Chris, to call 911 for an ambulance."
Chris placed the first 9-1-1 call, specifically requesting an ambulance to take Victoria to The Valley Hospital, as she had received treatment at its sister facility, Ramapo Mental Hospital, in the past, the Lees said. The 9-1-1 operator allegedly told Chris that the police would accompany the ambulance, as per standard procedure for mental health calls.
"Upon hearing that both an ambulance and the police were on their way, Victoria became agitated," her family said. "In her distressed state, she picked up a small folding pocketknife, typically used for opening delivery boxes, and adamantly refused to go to the hospital. It is important to note that Victoria was not holding the pocketknife as a weapon; she was not, and had never been, a violent individual, even during previous episodes."
Lee's mother instructed Chris to call 9-1-1 again to provide additional information specifically to prevent any potential misunderstandings or unnecessary escalation, the family statement reads.
"Chris informed the 9-1-1 responder about Victoria’s folding pocketknife, emphasized its small size, and requested that the police not enter the apartment," the Lee family said. "However, he was told that the police were required to respond for mental health cases."
Chris waited downstairs in attempt to delay officers as his mother tried to calm his sister, the Lees said. The family dog began barking when police arrived at the door, at which point Mrs. Lee picked up the dog and closed the door, asking the officer not to enter, and placed the dog in its crate, the family said.
That's when the police officer began knocking at the door, asking Chris who was inside. The officer apparently asked Chris for a key, but he didn't have one, at which point the officer kicked down the door, the Lees said.
"At this time, more officers arrived on the scene, and Chris observed one officer preparing a taser, which reassured him that a non-lethal approach would be taken," the Lees said in their statement. "One officer then led Chris away from the scene towards the stairwell, and Chris followed their instructions.
"On the way to the stairwell, before turning the corner of the hallway, Chris heard the door being broken into, followed immediately by a gunshot, and saw smoke in the aftermath."
Lee's family say she dropped the pocketknife, about seven feet away from the entrance door, however, police continued to try to kick the door down. Mrs. Lee told the officers not to come in as Lee picked up a five-gallon Poland Spring plastic water bottle and clutched it, non-threateningly, her family said.
"At that moment, Mrs. Lee was standing behind her," the family said. "Suddenly, the door burst open from the forceful kicking of an officer, and almost immediately, a gunshot was fired. The officer who fired the shot was standing upright.The bullet struck Victoria on one side and exited the other, lethally puncturing her vital organs."
At that moment, As Victoria fell to the floor crying out in pain, the plastic water bottle also fell. Blood mixed with water on the floor. In that moment, the police separated Mrs. Lee from her daughter, and one officer attempted to provide first aid, asking for towels. Mrs. Lee brought two large towels from her son's bathroom.
"This tragic turn of events on July 28th, 2024, occurred despite the family's efforts to cooperate with authorities and communicate Victoria’s mental state to the 911 operators and responding officers," the Lee family said. "It is important to note that this was not the Lee family’s first experience in such situations.
"In the past, when Victoria had similar episodes, the family called 911 for mental health assistance. On those occasions, the 911 responders were always understanding of her fragile mental state, and both the family and responders worked together to de-escalate the situation and transport Victoria to the hospital. "On the night of her death, given their previous interactions with 911 responders, the Lee family trusted and followed the police officers’ instructions completely. However, the unnecessarily aggressive approach taken by the police led to the tragic and devastating death of Victoria Lee. In fact, Victoria was never a threat, without a knife, to people around her at the time of shooting. Nevertheless, the policeman fired a gun."
In their statement to the media, Lee's family said officers did not consult with family about the safest course of action, instead, "they unilaterally decided to handle the situation aggressively without listening to the family’s concerns.
"As a result, the responding police officers misunderstood the situation and escalated what had been a calm and nonthreatening situation into a dangerous one."
The family further said that after forcing the door of their home open, "the police made no effort to assess the situation. Without any warning or attempt to verbally de-escalate, an officer immediately shot Victoria, who was holding a water bottle, as soon as the door was breached.
"Despite being informed that Victoria was a mentally unstable, nonviolent individual of short stature holding a small folding knife, the police did not attempt to restrain her using nonlethal means (e.g., verbal de-escalation, a taser, or pepper spray)."
"After breaking into a civilian residence and failing to reassess the scene, why did the police proceed to lethally shoot and kill a nonthreatening individual who posed no safety risk to her surrounding family?"
Platkin's office declined to comment pending the outcome of the investigation.
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