According to the state attorney general’s office, a woman going through a mental health crisis was shot and killed by police on Sunday in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The woman’s identity has not been made public. The situation is currently being looked into.
According to the attorney general’s office, at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Sunday, members of the Fort Lee Police Department were called to a residence by a man who reported that his sister was experiencing a mental health crisis and required hospitalization. According to the attorney general’s office, the man claimed that she was carrying a knife.
The attorney general’s office claims that after the man who called 911 spoke with a responding police officer in the hallway outside the apartment, the officer opened the door to the unit and discovered two women inside.
The two women, one of whom was believed to be the 911 caller’s sister, “told the officer not to come in and shut the door,” the attorney general’s office stated.
The women were asked to open the door when the police knocked on it, but the office claimed that they disobeyed. Then more cops showed up and forced the door open.
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When the sister “approached the officers in the hallway,” one of them “fired a single shot, striking the female in the chest,” according to the attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office stated that it is uncertain if the lady had a knife when she approached the officers. The woman was subsequently taken to the hospital by the officers after they started giving her medical attention, according to the officials.
At 1:58 a.m., the hospital declared her dead. According to the attorney general’s office, a knife was found at the location. The Attorney General’s Office of New Jersey is mandated to conduct an investigation into any death that occurs during an interaction with law enforcement.
