Grand Jury Decides About Cop Who Shot NJ Woman After Family Called Ambulance

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A year after police shot a 25-year-old Fort Lee woman to death during a mental health crisis, the state grand jury has voted not to file criminal charges against the police.

Around 1:30 a.m. on July 28, the brother of Victoria G. Lee called 911, saying that she was having a mental health crisis and they needed an ambulance to take her to Valley Hospital, officials and the family have said. Her family had said she was rolling on her bed and banging her head.

At some point that night, Lee was holding a small pocketknife, the family has said.

This week, the state Attorney General's Office released the results of their investigation.

They said that Lee’s death was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity, including reviewing 911 calls and video footage. Officers also gave testimony before a grand jury.

On Monday, the grand jury concluded its deliberations and voted “no bill,” meaning no criminal charges should be filed against Officer Tony Pickens Jr., who fatally shot Lee.

The Attorney General's office described the series of events that occurred.

Brother Tried To Cancel Call

According to the state:

During the first 911 call at 1:14 a.m., a man said his sister was having a mental health crisis and requested that she be taken to Valley Hospital in Paramus. The dispatcher said an ambulance and police officer would be sent.

After Lee's brother said “just the ambulance” would be fine, the dispatcher said officers had to be sent for mental health calls for the safety of the ambulance personnel.

In a second call to 911 five minutes later, Lee's brother asked to cancel the call.

The dispatcher said mental health calls could not be cancelled. The dispatcher asked why, and the man said his sister had a knife. But he added that she wasn't trying to cut anyone, and it was just a "foldable" knife.

The Fort Lee police "upgraded the seriousness of the call given the report of a person with a knife," said the Attorney General's Office.

Pickens and other police arrived around 1:25 a.m. at the Pinnacle apartment complex on Main Street, state officials said.

They got basic information from the family in the hallway just outside the apartment door.

"Officer Pickens then opened the apartment door and observed two females: Ms. Lee and her mother, who was holding a small barking dog," the Attorney General's Office said. "Both women told Officer Pickens not to come in."

The door was then locked. A supervisory officer determined that the officers needed to get in immediately, the state said.

Officer Pickens said he had to break the door down, and according to the Attorney General's Office, the younger Lee replied, “Go ahead, I’ll stab you in the f----- neck. Shoot me if you want to.”

The supervisory officer responded that they did not want to shoot her, but instead wanted to talk with her.

At approximately 1:28 a.m., Officer Pickens forcibly opened the door.

Once inside, police said that Victoria Lee was holding a 5-gallon water bottle in her right hand and an object in her left hand.

Her mom was also holding her left hand.

Then, Lee "broke free of her mother’s grasp and took two steps towards the officers, who were in the hallway. She was about to cross the apartment doorway’s threshold when Officer Pickens fired a single shot, striking Ms. Lee in the chest. Officers provided medical aid."

Lee was taken to Englewood Hospital, where she was pronounced dead just before 2 a.m. A knife was recovered at the scene.

The police body-worn camera footage was previously released and is here: https://njoag.box.com/s/xihweknlkeq7vrekx9693qbyyramgu86

The family has argued in the past that Lee should not have been shot and that she'd never been dangerous before.

Since the shooting, as well as the killings of Andrew Washington in Jersey City and Najee Seabrooks in Paterson, the state has expanded a program to provide mental health workers alongside police who are responding to such a call. Police Join New NJ Mental Health Crisis Response Program

Last year, the group AAPI New Jersey said, "These killings, like too many others, make all too clear how vulnerable people of color are during confrontations with law enforcement. We are committed to working with communities and other groups to reduce unnecessary law enforcement involvement and prevent these incidents from occurring."

READ MORE: Woman Shot To Death By NJ Cops Was ‘Armed’ With Water Bottle: Family