A state grand jury has voted not to file criminal charges at the conclusion of its deliberations regarding the death of Victoria G. Lee, 25, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, who was fatally shot by Fort Lee Police Officer Tony Pickens, Jr. on July 28, 2024.
Ms. Lee’s death was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019. In July 2021, OPIA issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure these grand jury presentations are conducted in a neutral, objective manner.
The investigation included audio from 911 calls, video footage from body-worn cameras and a conducted energy device (CED, commonly referred to as a taser), civilian and law enforcement interviews, photos, ballistics reports, and autopsy results from the medical examiner. This evidence, including video of the incident, was presented to a state grand jury. After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations on July 14, 2025, and voted “no bill,” concluding no criminal charges should be filed against Officer Pickens.
According to the investigation, during the first 911 call at approximately 1:14 a.m., a man reported that his sister was having a mental health crisis and requested that she be taken to Valley Hospital in Paramus. The dispatcher informed the caller that an ambulance and police officer would be sent. After the caller indicated that “just the ambulance” would be fine, the dispatcher informed him that officers had to be sent for mental health calls for the safety of ambulance personnel.
In a second call to 911 at approximately 1:19 a.m., the same caller requested to cancel the initial call, placed minutes before. The dispatcher stated that mental health calls could not be cancelled and that officers would arrive momentarily. The dispatcher asked the caller why he wanted to cancel the call; the caller responded that his sister had a knife. The dispatcher confirmed that the sister was still in a bedroom in the apartment and inquired whether she was trying to cut anyone with the knife or was just holding it. The caller stated, “She’s just holding it,” going on to describe that it was a “foldable” knife. The investigation revealed that the Fort Lee Police Department upgraded the seriousness of the call given the report of a person with a knife.
At approximately 1:25 a.m., Officer Pickens was the first of multiple officers from the Fort Lee Police Department to arrive at The Pinnacle apartment complex on Main Street. Upon his arrival at Lee’s apartment, Officer Pickens spoke to the caller and obtained basic information in the hallway just outside the apartment door. Officer Pickens then opened the apartment door and observed two females: Ms. Lee and her mother, who was holding a small barking dog. Both women told Officer Pickens not to come in. Ms. Lee reached over her mother and closed the door on Officer Pickens. The door was then locked.
Outside the apartment, Ms. Lee’s brother conveyed that he did not have the key on him to unlock the door. As additional officers arrived, Officer Pickens knocked on the door several times, asking the women to open it. Officers later stated they were concerned about the safety of Ms. Lee and her mother inside the apartment. A supervisory officer determined that the officers needed to make immediate entry to the apartment. Officer Pickens, speaking through the door, warned that he would have to break the door down. Ms. Lee replied, “Go ahead, I’ll stab you in the fucking neck.” She added, “Shoot me if you want to.” The supervisory officer responded that they did not want to shoot her, but instead wanted to talk with her. After relocating the brother who was outside the apartment down the hallway accompanied by an officer, the remaining officers were assigned responsibilities of “lethal” and “less lethal” duties.
Officer Pickens again warned the women inside the apartment that they would have to forcibly open the door. An officer conveyed to Officer Pickens that their colleague was sent to retrieve a hydraulic tool used to forcibly open a door, but Officer Pickens could try, if he was comfortable with it, attempting to forcibly open the door without the device. Additional instructions were given to open the door or it would be forced open.
At approximately 1:28 a.m., Officer Pickens forcibly opened the door. At that time, Ms. Lee was standing approximately two steps from the door, holding a five-gallon water bottle in her right hand and an object in her left hand. Officers yelled, “Drop the knife!” Inside the apartment, Ms. Lee’s mother was holding onto Ms. Lee’s left hand. Ms. Lee broke free of her mother’s grasp and took two steps towards the officers, who were in the hallway. She was about to cross the apartment doorway’s threshold when Officer Pickens fired a single shot, striking Ms. Lee in the chest. Officers provided medical aid. Ms. Lee was transported to Englewood Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased at approximately 1:58 a.m. A knife was recovered at the scene.
Footage from police body-worn cameras and the CED, as well as audio recordings of 911 calls relating to the fatal shooting, were previously released and are available here: https://njoag.box.com/s/xihweknlkeq7vrekx9693qbyyramgu86
A 2019 law, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2), requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved. The grand jury is instructed on the elements of the potential criminal offenses, including criminal homicide offenses, that could be brought and, as required by statutes, the grand jury is instructed on self-defense and other forms of legal justification.
A conflicts check was conducted pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by OPIA Executive Director Drew Skinner in accordance with the policies and procedures established for these presentations in the SOPs.
At the conclusion of these investigations, pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive and SOPs, OPIA determines whether any officer should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for administrative review in accordance with the AG’s Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures. OPIA monitors any resulting review and takes such actions as are necessary to ensure that the review is completed in a timely fashion, and that appropriate actions are taken based on the results of the review.
The Independent Prosecutor Directive is posted on the Attorney General’s website at:
https://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/agguide/directives/ag-Directive-2019-4.pdf
