Family of woman fatally stabbed in NYC apartment says police failed to intervene, waited an hour to enter
The family of a New York woman who was chased into her apartment and stabbed more than 40 times has filed a lawsuit accusing police officers of standing idly by her doorstep as she was fatally attacked I went.
Christina Yuna Lee, 35, died on February 13, 2022, in her Chinatown, Manhattan, apartment.
Police have said that Asmad Nash followed her to Lee’s apartment around 4:20 a.m., stealthily followed her up six flights of stairs and forced her way into his unit. Once inside, he repeatedly stabbed her, authorities previously said. Nash has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
A complaint filed in the New York County Supreme Court on May 12 by Boksun Lee, Lee’s aunt and administrator of his estate, accuses members of the NYPD of being negligent in their slow response and failure to provide immediate medical care.
The NYPD on Friday said it would not comment on the case, citing pending litigation.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing Lee’s screams, and one of those calls came in at 4:22 a.m., the suit states.
The complaint states that three minutes later, two unidentified members of the NYPD from the 5th Precinct, located approximately three blocks from Lee’s apartment, arrived at Lee’s unit and shouted for help “until he suddenly stopped screaming.” Done,” heard.
Instead of entering the unit, the officers spoke to Nash through a closed door, the complaint said.
The complaint states that, “despite having reason to believe that Ms. Lee’s life was in imminent danger,” the officers “failed to enter Ms. Lee’s apartment or provide her with any potentially life-saving police or medical assistance.” I failed.” ,
The complaint says seven other NYPD members arrived at 5:30 a.m. — more than an hour after a neighbor called 911 and the first officers heard the woman’s screams.
The lawsuit states that at 5:40 a.m.—an hour and 20 minutes after Lee was attacked—members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit forcibly entered Lee’s apartment.
She was fatally stabbed and pronounced dead at 5:55 a.m., according to the suit.
The complaint states that during and after the assault, members of the NYPD “denied and/or reasonably delayed providing police assistance and emergency medical treatment to Ms. Lee that caused her pain and suffering and resulted in her death.” ”
It also accused New York City of failing to maintain Sarah D. Roosevelt Park, located near Lee’s apartment, which had “significant public safety concerns”.
The complaint states that on October 16, 2021, she was stabbed to death just outside the park. Court documents said “dangerous conditions” at the city-run public park “contributed to the harm and suffering” to Lee.
The New York City Department of Legal Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The suit alleges wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, denial or delay of medical care, and negligent hiring, screening, retention, supervision, and training of officers. The lawsuit further states that the defendants violated the New York State Constitution by depriving Lee of his life without due process of law.
The family seeks a jury trial, punitive and unspecified compensatory damages.
Lee, a Rutgers University graduate, was a senior creative producer at Splice, a digital music platform, Diversity informed of.
Nash, who was not named in the lawsuit, was charged with first-degree murder, burglary and sexually motivated burglary. He pleaded not guilty in March 2022.
Prosecutors said that Nash had an extensive record in New Jersey and at the time of Lee’s murder, he was out on supervised release with three open cases. If convicted, he faces a life sentence without parole.
