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  • Tonight, for the first time, we are hearing directly from Victoria Lee's family.

  • Tomorrow will mark one month since he was shot and killed by Fort Lee police after officers were called to her home during a mental health episode.

  • Alice Gaynor spoke with Lee's father about his daughter's life as he demands accountability for her death.

  • I could not believe that until even at the funeral time, still.

  • I don't believe my daughter is dead.

  • K.Y. Lee says his daughter, Victoria Lee, loved music.

  • She composed, sang, played cello, and interned at a music studio.

  • Daddy, listen to me, I made this music.

  • The 25-year-old, he says, also had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder that had gotten worse.

  • K.Y. Lee says Victoria lived with her brother and that usually she would call her mother if she wasn't feeling well.

  • So on July 28th, his wife went over to calm Victoria down.

  • She's worried that her condition become uncontrollable.

  • Her brother called 911 to ask for an ambulance since Victoria had been hospitalized in the past.

  • The dispatcher told her brother police would be sent.

  • He called back to try and cancel the call.

  • My daughter doesn't like police to come.

  • Lee says she picked up a foldable knife used to open packages to protest this.

  • Never any violent outbursts toward any family member, anybody?

  • Never until her death never happened.

  • That's the first time.

  • I'm going to break the door down.

  • I'm going to break the door down.

  • Go ahead, I'll stab you in the f***ing neck.

  • Sir.

  • Sir.

  • Demetrius, step back.

  • Step back.

  • We don't want to shoot you.

  • We want to talk to you.

  • Lee feels officers escalated things and could have waited to find out more about the situation.

  • Mental health professionals need to be there from the very beginning.

  • My daughter already put down the knife because my wife persuaded her.

  • She had a fear, you know, anxiety and then anger.

  • Who wants to go last?

  • Who wants to go last?

  • Who wants to go last?

  • Who wants to go last?

  • Who wants to go last?

  • Who wants to go last?

  • Who wants to go last?

  • A few seconds later.

  • Drop the knife.

  • Drop the knife.

  • We're freezing the video before police fire a shot, killing Lee.

  • It's unclear from this video if a knife was in her hand.

  • The New Jersey Attorney General's office announced a change to the use of force policy, among other things requiring police departments to coordinate with mental health professionals and train in crisis negotiation.

  • It is welcoming.

  • Welcoming, yes.

  • But if they have done that like earlier, then my daughter would be alive now.

  • Lee wants the Fort Lee officers involved held accountable.

  • In Fort Lee, Alice Gaynor, CBS News, New York.

  • And the New Jersey Attorney General's office is investigating the shooting.

  • We reached out to Fort Lee police to find out the status of the officers involved.

  • They would not say, instead directing us to file a request for records.

  • And our team has been following the investigation into Victoria's death and other deadly police shootings involving mental health crises.

  • You can find all of our reporting at cbsnewyork.com.

Tonight, for the first time, we are hearing directly from Victoria Lee's family.

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