‘They took him away from us again’: Daughter grieves loss of father shot, killed by NPD

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Lee family, originally from the Bowling Park section of Norfolk, will never know what could have been for 45-year-old Santonio P. Lee.

It appears his 16-year-old daughter was the last loved one to see him alive.

NPD: Man dies following chase, exchange of gunfire

On the day after what was likely the worst day of her life, Paris reflected on January 16, 2024, which was the day the father of four returned home after 14 years in prison.

Paris Lee: He came and everything was peaceful. We all came and connected together. It started building a better bond. He started building a better bond with me because I’m the oldest. So it’s like we all just came and he started coming to my school out of nowhere, popping up, just checking on me, making sure I’m good and stuff.

Regina Mobley: And he did that yesterday. Tell me about that visit.

Paris Lee: Yesterday around like 2:31. He was calling me, but I wasn’t answering him then. He texted me and asked me what I was doing. He said he was on his way to my school. And then they called me down to the office from class. I went down here. He was basically telling me to stay out of trouble and that he loved me and then he gave me a hug.

Paris Lee: When I got out of school, like10 minutes later, I’m in the car and then he called and we went straight to the hospital. When I came home from school, we got in the car. That’s where we got that call. And it happened. We went to the hospital and found out everything that happened.

Regina Mobley: You lost your dad just that quickly? Just a few weeks.

Paris Lee: It hurt, but it’s like you can’t — I don’t want to keep questioning myself because I know I ain’t do nothing. But it do hurt because he just got home. It was like they took him away from us years ago. Yeah. Without him, then it’s like they took him away from us again.

Family members are demanding specifics on why Lee was wanted by police and why officers slammed into the car he was driving.

Lee’s mother, Dorothy Lee, is distraught, having to bury another son. Lee’s older brother, Dennis Britt was only 16-years-old when he was shot and killed in Norfolk in the 1990s.

Norfolk Police confirmed Santonio P. Lee was wanted on several outstanding charges in Norfolk, including malicious wounding, use of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He also had outstanding charges out of Virginia Beach.

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