FORT LEE, New Jersey (WABC) — The family of a woman shot dead by police in Fort Lee, New Jersey says she was not armed and was holding a plastic water jug when she was shot.

A Fort Lee officer fired the shot that killed 25-year-old Victoria Lee inside her family’s apartment at The Pinnacle complex on Main Street on July 28.

Her family says her brother had called for an ambulance, because Lee was having a manic episode, and had picked up a small pocketknife.

However, the family says she was not being violent, and had dropped the knife before officers broke down the apartment door.

They say the officer fired the shot almost immediately after opening the door, striking Lee in the chest.

The family says police made no effort to assess, or de-escalate the situation after opening the door.

They are now pressing the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office to be thorough with its investigation.

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A lawsuit filed Thursday seeks to have independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed from the Pennsylvania ballot for the Nov. 5 election alleging fraud and other problems with his nominating papers.

The suit in Commonwealth Court filed on behalf of two voters from Dauphin County and Philadelphia claims the nominating papers Kennedy and running mate Nicole Shanahan filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State for placement on the ballot “demonstrate, at best, a fundamental disregard of the circulation process and Pennsylvania law.”

Kennedy, the son of U.S. attorney general and senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, is running as the nominee of the We the People Party. His campaign claims that unlike other independent candidates, Kennedy and Shanahan will appear on the ballots of all 50 states. 

The Pennsylvania suit claims, however, that Kennedy’s nominating petitions list a New York address that is not his home. Kennedy has made his primary residence in California since marrying his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, in 2014, the suit claims.

A trial in New York state court over Kennedy’s legal residence concluded Thursday and a judge is expected to soon decide whether Kennedy’s name should remain on the ballot there. A Democratic super PAC is backing the lawsuit. 

The New York suit makes a similar claim that although Kennedy’s New York nominating petitions bear an address in the New York City suburbs, his actual residence is in California.

Kennedy’s campaign said in a statement Thursday that his voter registration, falconry license, and law practice are all in New York, where he also pays taxes. Kennedy said he plans to move back to New York when “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Hines retires from acting.

The residency issue presents an insurmountable problem for the Kennedy campaign because vice presidential nominee Shanahan also lives in California. The U.S. Constitution bars a state’s presidential electors from casting their votes for presidential and vice presidential candidates if both are from that state, meaning Kennedy could not receive California’s Electoral College votes.

“For these reasons, Candidate Kennedy listed his New York address with the intent to deceive Pennsylvania voters. Providing a California address would contradict his campaign and its goals,” the lawsuit claims, adding that because he allegedly acted with the intent to deceive voters, he is not entitled to amend the documents.

The suit also claims that Kennedy’s nomination papers fall short of the 33,043 signatures required by the Pennsylvania Election Code for non-major party candidates. 

Although federal courts have held that the requirement can be unconstitutional, and the secretary of the commonwealth will accept nomination petitions containing 5,000 signatures, Kennedy has not established that the requirement of a greater number of signatures is unconstitutional in his case, the suit says.

The original nominating petitions filed with the Department of State also show evidence of fraud, the suit alleges.

It says an inspection of the papers revealed “a startling concern.” Nearly 300 of the sheets submitted have a different circulator statement that is taped over the original document. Because the new statement cannot be removed without damaging the paper, this prevents examination of the original statement.

The suit also lists other defects with the documents including torn pages, “handwriting patterns and corrections” that suggest the voters whose names appear did not sign the petition, and that, based on the campaign’s practices in other states, some circulators whose names appear on the petitions were not the people who solicited voters’ signatures.

The suit was filed by attorney Timothy Ford of the Dilworth Paxson law firm in Philadelphia.

The Kennedy campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the Capital-Star on Thursday. 

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Health is warning Rhode Islanders after a resident died from an infection caused by bacteria that live in warm saltwater and brackish water.

The unidentified Rhode Islander died from vibriosis, caused by the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, the Health Department said.

Vibrio bacteria can be dangerous to people if they have an open wound and enter saltwater or brackish water, the Department of Health said. Open wounds include recent cuts and scrapes, recent surgery sites, and recent piercings and tattoos, according to the Health Department.

How common is Vibrio vulnificus?

Infections with Vibrio vulnificus are very rare, and they are much more serious for people with underlying health issues, the Health Department said.

In severe cases, wounds infected with Vibrio vulnificus can lead to sepsis and can be life-threatening, the Health Department said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection require intensive care or limb amputations, and about 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.”

It is more common in warmer months.

“While Vibrio is rare, it is important for anyone at risk to take precautions while spending time in or around brackish water or saltwater when the weather is warm,” Director of Health Dr. Jerry Larkin said. “Stay out of the water and take precautions if you have a break in the skin or open wound, particularly if you are at higher risk for serious illness.”

Have there been there other cases in Rhode Rhode Island?

People can also become infected with Vibrio after consuming raw or undercooked seafood, the Health Department said.

Before this case, Rhode Island’s last reported case of Vibrio vulnificuswas in 2017.

Last summer, the CDC issued a news release describing an increase in severe Vibrio vulnificuscases in the Eastern United States, the Health Department said. Cases were identified in North Carolina, New York and Connecticut in 2023.

For more information, go to the CDC’s website.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI resident dies of infection from Vibrio bacteria found in saltwater