Deadly Fort Lee police shooting of woman investigated by N.J. attorney general. Here's what we know.
FORT LEE, N.J. -- An investigation is underway in New Jersey after a police officer shot and killed a woman early Sunday morning.
The investigation has been turned over to the state, which is standard procedure any time there's a police shooting. The New Jersey Attorney General's Office is now investigating after Fort Lee police officers responded to a building. The 911 caller, the woman's own brother, told the dispatcher she was having a mental health episode, and had a knife.
Here's what investigators say happened
Video footage shows investigators on the scene at the Pinnacle Apartments on Main Street.
The shooting happened around 1:25 a.m. The AG's office released details on Sunday night, saying a 911 caller stated his sister was having a mental health crisis, needed to go to the hospital, and that she had a knife.
The caller was outside the apartment door when an officer arrived. The officer opened the door, but two women told him not to come in and shut the door.
After repeated demands to open up, additional responding officers broke down the door.
As the woman approached, an officer shot her once in the chest, killing her, officials said.
The AG's office says investigators recovered a knife at the scene, but did not know if she was holding the knife when officers shot her.
A neighbor said he needs to know more.
"So they already knew that this person had a knife, so why deadly force? Why not use some other tactics?" the neighbor said, "because I have family who also have mental issues and I'm calling the cops. I trust them. I'm not calling them to cause more harm."
