Probe urged after police fatally shoot woman amid mental health crisis

Asian American advocacy group AAPI New Jersey issued a statement calling for a probe into the killing of Victoria Lee, a 26-year-old Korean American, by a Fort Lee police officer on July 28. Lee, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2017, was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting.

What happened: Lee was shot after her brother called 911 for medical assistance, reporting she had a knife. The family later clarified that Lee had a small pocket knife but was only holding a plastic water bottle at the time of the shooting. Officers forced entry into the apartment at The Pinnacle complex on Main Street when Lee and another woman didn’t comply with their request to open the door. As Lee approached them in the hallway, Officer Tony Pickens fired a single shot into her chest, resulting in her death. The family argued that Lee was not a threat and that the police’s “unnecessarily aggressive approach” led to her death.
Police and mental health responses: Recent incidents, including the tragic case of Yong Yang in Los Angeles and the death of a Bangladeshi teenager in Queens, also underscore the urgent need for reform and greater sensitivity in police interactions with communities of color during mental health crises. In a statement posted on X, AAPI NJ wrote, “These killings, like too many others, make it all too clear how vulnerable people of color are during confrontations with law enforcement.”

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