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Asian American and civil rights groups demanded Tuesday that police in Fort Lee, New Jersey release body cam footage of the shooting of Victoria Lee, reports NJ.com.
Police responded on July 28 to a distress call from Lee’s family reporting a mental health episode. The 25 year old has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Her family says Lee was holding a water bottle when police barged into the family’s home and shot her.
“Victoria Lee should be alive today. Let me repeat that. Victoria Lee should be alive today,” said Amber Reed, co-executive director of AAPI New Jersey.
The family’s attorney expressed concerns about what he called the “unnecessary use of lethal force.”
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“Her brother, Chris, made two phone calls to 911 requesting an ambulance, emphasizing her mental state and the presence of a small pocket knife she used for opening packages,” said attorney Henry Cho to CBS NY.
He says an officer barged into the apartment when they could not gain entry. According to the Attorney General’s office, that’s when Lee approached the officer and the officer fired a single fatal shot into her chest.
Cho told NorthJersey.com he doesn’t understand why officers didn’t consult the family before entering.
“The police responded aggressively and forcibly entered the apartment and fatally shot Victoria, who was holding a plastic water jar at the time. She was harmless,” Cho said.
Lee’s death is one in a series of police shooting across the country involving law enforcements response to a mental health call.
In 2020, police in Antioch, CA shot Filipino American Angelo Quinto during a mental health crisis. The family reached a $7.5 million settlement with the city earlier this year.
In November 2021, state troopers in Pennsylvania shot and killed a suicidal man on a freeway overpass. Video would surface showing Christian Hall had his hands up when he was shot. However, the District Attorney would rule that the shooting was justified.
Earlier this year in Los Angeles, police killed a Korean American man after mental health counselors called 911 for assistance. The family of Yong Yang has called for a full investigation.
“What can we do together to make sure that Victoria Lee’s death is the last time someone in New Jersey seeking help during a mental health episode is fatally shot by the police?” asked Reed. “I think we need to join together with the leaders who have already had to grapple with this question. I think the Asian American community is realizing that we are all connected in this work and that we are going to have to learn from each other and take action building coalition with other communities that have been affected by this kind of violence.”
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