Fort Lee Police officer who fatally shot Victoria Lee will not face criminal charges, grand jury votes
A Fort Lee Police officer who fatally shot a woman at her apartment last year will not face criminal charges.
The decision was made by a New Jersey grand jury Tuesday — almost one year after Victoria Lee, 25, was killed.
Officer shoots, kills woman while responding to mental health call
Police were sent to Lee's apartment on July 28, 2024, after her brother called 911 and asked for an ambulance. The brother said Lee was having a mental health episode and was holding a foldable knife, and that their mother was also in the apartment.
The dispatcher informed the brother police officers would be sent along with the ambulance. The brother later tried to cancel the call, but the dispatcher told him that would not be possible.
The brother met the officers in the hallway outside the apartment, and body cam video shows Lee and her mother briefly opened the apartment door before closing it again.
After trying to speak with Lee through the closed door, officers eventually pushed the door open.
Video shows Lee or her mother drop an object that appears to be a cell phone, then Lee approaches the officers with a full water jug in her hand.
An officer then shot Lee once in the chest. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Concerns about police response to mental health crises
The shooting sparked concerns about police response to mental health calls.
Lee's father told CBS News New York last year he felt officers escalated the situation and could have waited to find out more about what was going on.
Members of the Fort Lee community had called for the officer who killed Lee to be fired and prosecuted. The officer was moved to desk duty during the investigation.