The state’s attorney general announced on Sunday that a woman was shot and killed by police inside an apartment building in New Jersey while responding to a reported mental health crisis.
According to Attorney General Matthew Platkin, a man called 911 to seek help for his sister at around 1:30 a.m, prompting officers from the Fort Lee Police Department to respond to “The Pinnacle” complex on Main Street.
According to a news release from Platkin’s office, during the phone call, the man expressed that his sister was experiencing a crisis and required immediate hospitalization. The man further mentioned that his sister was holding a knife.
Upon reaching out to the 911 caller, law enforcement officers proceeded to enter the apartment and discovered the man’s sister alongside another woman. According to prosecutors, the two women instructed the officer not to enter and subsequently closed the door.
Police then broke down the door and fired a single shot, striking the woman in the chest “as the sister approached the officer in the hallway.” They transported her to a nearby hospital, but her injuries proved fatal.
An ongoing investigation is being conducted, as confirmed by Platkin’s office, after the discovery of a knife at the scene. The attorney general himself mentioned the recovery of the said knife.
