The family of Andrew Jerome Washington filed a lawsuit this week against Jersey City, alleging the police officers who responded to his mental health crisis last year failed to follow standard de-escalation techniques, alleging, much like the family of Victoria Lee that his death could have been avoided if officers had taken a different approach.

Ted Goldberg.

Reports.

They robbed us that opportunity just to see him healthy again because it was possible he had done this for nearly 30 years.

Courtnie Washington doesn't want people to remember her brother Andrew, as someone who suffered a mental health crisis and was killed by police.

He had a full life.

You know, he had girlfriends.

He had he dated him.

He had jobs.

He spent time with family.

He was a big part of our lives.

Almost a year ago, the Washington family called a mental health hotline when Drew was suffering through a mental health event.

You're not in trouble.

You're not under arrest.

The response is now subject to a lawsuit filed by Washington's family.

They allege that the Jersey City Police Department didn't do enough to de-escalate the situation, which led to police knocking down his door and shooting Drew when he stepped forward with a knife.

We called for help.

You know, and they sent armed police officers who broke down his door, shot and killed him.

And people have to be held accountable.

There was no reason for them to break down the door when they did.

And it violated basic principles of de-escalation when they should have waited, they should have called a mental health professional.

The lawsuit names as defendants.

Jersey City, Hudson County, Jersey City Medical Center, R.W.

Jay Barnabas, Health and 11 officers and EMTs.

From the beginning of this entire incident, the Jersey City Police Department officers violated the basic principles set out nationally and by the state of New Jersey for how to interact with someone experiencing mental health symptoms.

He's not bad, he's not evil.

He was sick.

But that didn't make him any less dangerous, unfortunately, to those officers at that time.

The day after the shooting, leaders in Jersey City defended how the police responded.

When you look at the footage of actually what transpired, you'd be hard pressed to say that we could have taken a different approach.

They arrived at the scene based on the medical center's advice.

They entered or they went to the door and communicated with Mr. Washington for close to an hour.

There's kind of a mistaken impression, I think, that we can bring secure trusts to all of these jobs and have them talk to the person or lead the person.

They can we can only introduce an unarmed civilian into this job if the area is secure.

An unarmed civilian is a big part of arrive together.

The statewide initiative that pairs mental health professionals with police to respond to certain 911 calls.

Jersey City is not a member, but the city is applying for a $2 million grant to expand social services for people suffering from mental health events.

The grant comes from the Seabrooks Washington Act, a law named for Drew and Najee Seabrooks, who was shot and killed by Paterson police half a year before.

Drew was a therapeutic crisis response team, of course, but also an expansion of what we already do with licensed social workers and therapeutic services in Jersey City for a continuum of follow up care.

Pam Johnson wrote this grant application for Jersey City.

The city was rejected during the first phase of funding when the grant was written by someone else.

We're just here to prevent something happening to where it's escalated and something like what happened to Andrew Washington and energy.

SEABROOKS You know, we don't want to see that again.

Lawsuits like this start conversations, and they could, you know, bring about change.

And that would be important for our family and for the next family that has to make that call.

The city told us in a statement they could not comment on active litigation, even as this shooting sparked another conversation about responding to mental health emergencies.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Ted Goldberg.