An attorney representing the family of Victoria Lee says Fort Lee police escalated a mental health emergency and violated Lee’s constitutional rights when officers broke down her apartment door and fatally shot her.
Lee’s brother called 911 early on July 28, 2024, requesting an ambulance to assist with her mental state. Lee was holding a small folding knife, though was not threatening anyone, he told the dispatcher. He also said he did not want police to come and was told law enforcement would be sent.
Minutes after officers arrived at the family’s apartment, Officer Tony Pickens Jr. shot and killed Lee, 25. A state grand jury last year declined to file criminal charges against him.
Lee’s family recently filed a federal civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit against Fort Lee and five police officers, including Pickens. The suit alleges excessive force, unlawful entry, disability discrimination and failures by the borough to properly train and supervise officers responding to mental health emergencies.
“It was completely improper,” attorney Amelia Green told NJ Spotlight News. “They violated Fort Lee’s own policies and some of the most basic protocols for responding to a mental health call. They should have de-escalated the situation, used time and space, talked to her family members and determined whether there was any threat.”
Green said officers lacked the immediate threat normally needed to justify entering a home without a warrant.
“Before they broke down her door, the first officer to arrive at the scene actually saw Victoria Lee and her mother and opened the door to the apartment,” Green said. “Before that door was closed, he saw she was not a threat to anyone. Her mother was not in any danger. Her brother was not in any danger.”
Lee can be heard on body-camera footage threatening to stab an officer if police broke down the door.
“They understood that this was a situation that was escalating, and they understood that the officers were the ones that were posing the threat to Victoria and agitating Victoria,” Green said. “They should have de-escalated the situation and tried to calmly communicate. Instead, they escalated the situation by breaking down the door.”
Green said the lack of criminal charges has no effect on the family’s civil case, which applies a different legal standard.
“This is a suit about accountability of the Fort Lee Police Department and the violation of Victoria’s constitutional rights,” she said.
At the time of Lee’s death, Fort Lee was not participating in Arrive Together, a state program that pairs police with mental health professionals on some emergency calls. The borough joined the program in May 2025, about 10 months after her death.
Separately, New Jersey adopted statewide rules governing police responses to barricaded individuals. The rules require an immediate supervisory response and emphasize de-escalation, specialized crisis teams and the involvement of mental health professionals.
“The reality is we didn’t need these new laws to save Victoria’s life,” she said. “The laws that were broken here and the protocols that were broken in this situation are some of the most basic protocols that were already well known at the time. You do not escalate a situation. You give time and space. You consult with family members. You make a plan.”
