Woman fatally shot by N.J. police in July remembered on her birthday

FORT LEE, N.J. — A somber remembrance was held Saturday for Victoria Lee, who died at the hands of police in July.
Saturday would have been Lee’s 26th birthday. Her family says she was in the middle of a mental health crisis when a Fort Lee Police officer shot and killed her on July 28.
Nearly three months later, her death continues to spark outrage and calls for change.
On July 28, Victoria Lee’s brother called 911 and requested an ambulance, but not police, be sent to the Pinnacle Apartments on Main Street, telling a dispatcher that his sister was having a mental health episode and holding a foldable knife, with their mother also in the apartment.
The dispatcher informed the brother that police officers would need to be sent for the safety of the ambulance squad, and when the brother later called back and asked to cancel the call entirely, the dispatcher said that was not possible.
Police-worn body camera video shows officers talking to Victoria Lee through a locked door. Eventually, they broke down the door, and just three seconds later, as Victoria Lee moved toward officers with a water jug in her hand, Officer Tony Pickens fired a single fatal shot. He remains on desk duty.
“They didn’t listen to us, and they never tried to find out what’s happening inside,” K.Y. Lee, Victoria Lee’s father, said.
Victoria Lee’s father was among those marching in downtown Fort Lee on Saturday, demanding justice.
“This is her birthday. Who imagined that I’m going to meet her birthday like this? I never imagined that she would have her 26th birthday in the grave,” K.Y. Lee said.
The New Jersey attorney general’s office is investigating whether the shooting was justified. Those findings are expected to be presented to a grand jury.  
“There’s a grand jury investigation, but I’m sure the police will say that they felt the mother was maybe in danger, which wasn’t the case, but there was never a dialogue about it,” New Jersey Assemblywoman Ellen Park said.
Park is sponsoring legislation that would require officers responding to mental health calls either have a mental health professional with them or, at the very least, an officer on the squad with additional training.
“I just think if we could slow everything down and take a moment, this could’ve been avoided 100 percent,” she said.