‘I’ll go lethal.’ State AG releases bodycam video of fatal shooting of Fort Lee woman
Fort Lee police fatally shot 25-year-old Victoria Lee during a mental health crisis. Police alleged Lee was armed with a knife.
The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General has released police bodycam video surrounding the death of Victoria Lee, 25, who was fatally shot by Fort Lee police officers last month during a mental health crisis call.
The recording was made at around 1:30 a.m. on July 28. It begins with several Fort Lee police officers walking through the apartment building with shields.
As they approach Victoria Lee’s apartment door, the first officer on the scene is met by Lee’s brother.
The officer asks, “Who is dealing with the mental health crisis? Who is having the nervous breakdown right now?”
Lee’s brother is heard telling the officers it is his sister. The door briefly opens, and the officer is told not to come in. Moments later, more police officers arrive.
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An officer yells, “I’m gonna break the door down.”
Lee then screamed through the door, “Go ahead. I’m going to stab you in the [expletive] neck.”
Another officer says, “We don’t want to shoot you. We want to help you.”
Next, officers are heard discussing amongst themselves whether to use guns or a non-lethal weapon.
A police officer says to the others, “Before we go in, who wants to go less lethal and who wants to go lethal?”
An officer who eventually fires his weapon is heard saying, “I’ll go lethal.”
When it’s decided to “go lethal,” that’s when Fort Lee police officers break the door down.
When the door is opened, Lee is seen with a large water jug in her hand, and one shot is heard fired. After the shooting, a knife is tossed out of the way into the hallway.
From the body cam video, it is difficult to see if Lee had a knife in her hand when the officer fired. Lee’s family says she dropped the knife before the gunshot.
Police then immediately try to tend to her wound.
In a statement, members of the group Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders of New Jersey say, “Victoria Lee should be alive today…The footage and recordings released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office confirm what the Lee family has already shared with the world: that in a matter of minutes, the Fort Lee police shot and killed Victoria, who was in no way a threat to anyone, as her mother watched helplessly…Words cannot describe our grief or anger.”
The state attorney general is investigating this shooting.
Fort Lee is not part of the attorney general’s program called Arrive Together, which has mental health counselors go to calls for assistance with people experiencing a mental health crisis.
