Protesters carried signs calling for justice for Victoria Lee at a rally in Fort Lee on Thursday. Lee, a 25-year-old Korean American woman, was shot and killed by Fort Lee police on July 28, after her parents called 911 when she was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Advocacy groups have demanded that Fort Lee clarify its emergency medical response rules; explain how officers should treat family members after a police shooting; reveal how many police officers have completed state-ordered de-escalation training; and pull officers off active duty who were involved in Lee’s death, especially Officer Tony Pickens Jr., who pulled the trigger.
Lee’s father has demanded accountability and apologies from Fort Lee officials. So did the crowd at a city council meeting Thursday night.
“The concerns have led to, really, the erosion in trust,” said Sungkwan Jang, a representative with One Boat Coalition who spoke for Lee’s family at the council meeting. “I’ve heard from several folks — especially those who speak limited English, who are older — that they’re now afraid and hesitant to call 911 or seek any service or assistance from our government.”
“I’m responsible for public confidence and public trust, that’s my job,” Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich replied. “That’s my paramount responsibility and I assume responsibility for that one hundred percent.”
Sokolich said he had met community leaders earlier Thursday and planned more meetings. He said the shooting remains under investigation by the attorney general’s office and that Pickens is “no longer on active patrol.”
Responding to suggestions he needed to apologize to Lee’s family and the community, Sokolich said, “I issued a three-page press release three weeks ago that expressed my deepest, most heartfelt condolences to Ms. Lee’s family, and all the families that were involved.”
Sokolich promised to provide videos that would inform residents of 911 response protocols, establish a committee to improve relations between the Asian community and police, and explore expediting Fort Lee’s enrollment in the state’s Arrive Together program for responding to people in mental health crises.
The Fort Lee Police Department had no comment.
