The family of a New York woman who was followed through her apartment and stabbed more than 40 times has filed a lawsuit accusing officers of standing idly by at her door as she was fatally attacked.
Christina Yuna Lee, 35, died on February 13, 2022 in her apartment in Chinatown, Manhattan.
Police said Assamad Nash followed Lee to her apartment around 4:20 a.m., sneaking her up six floors and forcing entry into her unit. Once inside, he stabbed her multiple times, authorities said. Nash pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
A lawsuit filed May 12 in New York County Supreme Court by Lee’s aunt and estate administrator, Boksun Lee, accuses NYPD members of negligent slow response and failure to provide information. immediate medical attention.
On Friday, the NYPD said it had no comment on the case, citing ongoing litigation.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing Lee’s screams, and one of those calls came in at 4:22 a.m., the lawsuit says.
Three minutes later, two anonymous NYPD members from the 5th Precinct, located approximately three blocks from Lee’s apartment, arrived at Lee’s unit and heard her screaming for help “until which she abruptly stops screaming,” according to the complaint.
Instead of breaking into the unit, officers spoke to Nash through the closed door, according to the complaint.
“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 potentially life-saving police or medical assistance. at that time,” the complaint reads. .
Seven other NYPD members arrived at 5:30 a.m. — more than an hour after a neighbor called 911 and first officers heard the woman screaming, according to the complaint.
At 5:40 a.m. — an hour and 20 minutes after Lee was attacked — members of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit forced their way into Lee’s apartment, the lawsuit said.
She was found fatally stabbed and pronounced dead at 5:55 a.m., according to the lawsuit.
The complaint said that during and after the attack, responding NYPD members “refused and/or reasonably delayed providing Ms. Lee with police assistance and emergency medical treatment causing her harm.” pain and suffering and contributing to his death”.
He also accused New York City of failing to maintain Sara D. Roosevelt Park, located near Lee’s apartment, which had “significant public safety conditions.”
The complaint alleged a stabbing death that occurred just outside the park on Oct. 16, 2021. Court documents said “unsafe conditions” in the city-run public park “contributed to the harm and to the suffering” of Lee.
The New York City Legal Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
The lawsuit alleges wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, denial or delay of medical care, and hiring, selection, retention, supervision and training. negligent officers. The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants violated the New York State Constitution by depriving Lee of his life without due process.
The family is seeking a jury trial, punitive and unspecified damages.
Lee, a graduate of Rutgers University, was a senior creative producer at Splice, a digital music platform, Variety reported.
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 Nash had a heavy record in New Jersey and at the time of Lee’s murder was on probation in three open cases. If found guilty, he faces a sentence as long as life without parole.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com