Victoria Lee's death in Fort Lee exposes police mental health protocols

Thirty-three seconds.

It took a group of Fort Lee police officers just 33 seconds to decide to break down an apartment door. They then agreed on who would potentially use “lethal” and “less lethal” measures. They then broke down the door and one of them, Officer Tony Pickens Jr., shot and killed 25-year-old Victoria Lee.

County police arrived at Lee's residence at the Pinnacle on Main Street around 1:25 a.m. on July 28. They were responding to a 911 call made by Lee's brother because he feared she was suffering a mental health crisis.

In an audio recording released Friday by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office, Lee's brother called 911 twice – once in the hope that an ambulance and paramedics could help his sister, and then again to cancel the call.

Dispatchers initially told him that police officers were accompanying the emergency responders for their safety. When he called back to cancel his call for help, he was told that calls could not be canceled due to mental health issues. On the second call, Lee's brother tells the dispatcher that his sister was holding a knife.