37°
The footage appears to confirm what 25-year-old Lee's family said in a statement last week: That she was holding a water jug when officers kicked in the door, shot, and killed her.
But, what authorities had not said until releasing the footage is that when officers told Lee through her family's apartment door at The Pinnacle that they were going to break it down, she said: "Go ahead, I’ll stab you in the f—ing neck," which she can be heard saying in the bodycam footage.
Click here to view the footage released by the NJ Attorney General's Office on Friday, Aug. 16. Many may find the footage disturbing.
The AG's office also a released both 911 calls that brought officers to The Pinnacle in Fort Lee around 1:25 a.m.
The victim's brother called 911 saying his sister was having a mental health crisis. He requested to have her taken to The Valley Hospital in Paramus.
"During the first call, the dispatcher informed the caller that an ambulance and police officer would be sent," the AG said in a release. "After the man indicated that 'just the ambulance' would be fine, the dispatcher informed the caller that officers had to be sent for mental health calls for the safety of ambulance personnel."
In a second call to 911, the man initially requested to cancel the call. The dispatcher says that mental health calls could not be cancelled and that officers would arrive momentarily.
The dispatcher asked the caller why he wanted to cancel the call. He responded by saying his sister had a knife.
"The dispatcher confirmed that the sister was still in a bedroom in the apartment, informed again that the officers would be there momentarily, and inquired whether his sister was trying to cut anyone with the knife or was just holding it," the AG's release said.
"The caller stated, 'She’s just holding it,' going on to describe that it was a 'foldable' knife."
Prior to arriving at the family's apartment, Fort Lee Officer Tony Pickens, Jr. spoke to the caller in the building’s hallway. Pickens then opened the apartment door and saw two women: The caller’s sister, Lee, and their mother, who was holding a dog.
The women told the officer not to come in, and shut the door. Pickens stood outside knocking on the door, asking the women to open the door as additional officers arrived.
After the occupants did not comply, Pickens, speaking through the door, said that he would have to break the door down.
That's when Lee apparently threatened to stab them, Platkin's office said.
After discussion of which officers would be assigned “lethal” and “less lethal” duties, officers breached the door.
"As Ms. Lee approached the officers in the hallway, and officers shouted, 'Drop the knife,' Officer Pickens fired a single shot, striking Ms. Lee in the chest," Platkin's office said in a news release.
"Officers provided immediate medical aid. Ms. Lee was transported to Englewood Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased at approximately 1:58 a.m. A knife was recovered at the scene."
The investigation into Lee's death remains ongoing.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Readington Township and receive free news updates.
