New Jersey attorney general's office released body cam video of Victoria Lee's killing from a police shooting.
According to CBS News, the newly released video showed the moment when the New Jersey police reached inside a Fort Lee apartment building on call from Lee’s family.
Victoria Lee, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder was having a medical crisis on July 28 when her family called 911.
Later, her brother called 911 again, asking the dispatcher to send an ambulance as her sister was experiencing a mental crisis. The dispatcher told him that the presence of police officers was also required.
After this, the brother calls back again and asks to cancel the call but the dispatcher tells him that is not possible.
Moreover, two police officers arrived outside the apartment, where they met Lee’s brother and asked him who was dealing with a mental crisis. To which the brother who told the dispatcher that Lee has a foldable knife replied, “My sister.’
The apartment gate then opened for a while, and Lee, her mother, and a small dog could be seen inside when the door was closed again.
The officers asked Lee to open the door they wanted to talk to; otherwise, they would break the door, and someone from inside said, “Go ahead, I'll stab you in the neck. Shoot me if you want to."
Furthermore, five more officers arrived at the scene after a discussion officer broke the door.
Lee approached the officers with a full jug of water when Officer Tony Pickens Jr. fired a single shot that struck her chest. Officers pulled the bleeding and moaning Lee into the hallway and gave her medical aid.
She was then taken to the local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Lee’s family, along with their attorney, reviewed this footage on Friday, August 16.
The video sparked the outage, and prominent figures and organisations criticised NY police.
They slammed that it was not the right way to deal with a person with a medical crisis and also emphasised the fact that a mental health professional would have handled the situation in a much better way.
