“It seems [the police] are putting the blame on my brother,” Alexandra In Young Lee, 25, told the Variety.
Police indicated that Joe was drunk at the time of the incident and that speed and alcohol were not factors in the accident as far as the driver was concerned.
She said the accounts of witnesses are being ignored by the police.
“There were witnesses. They won’t listen to them,” she said, referring to the investigators.
Police have yet to inform them about the status of the investigation, he added.
Alexandra In Young Lee at the same time thanked the members of the community for their support and sympathy.
She said her sister In Hee Lee, 23, arrived on Saipan the other day.
Their father, Chang Sub Lee, 54, is also on island, but their mother, who is in Japan, will not make it to Joe’s funeral.
Alexandra In Young Lee said the daily novena that starts at 2 p.m. is held at the Commonwealth Health Center’s chapel.
“All are welcome,” she said, adding that the daily Mass starts at 8 p.m.
The novenas and Masses will be held until Saturday.
Police will only turn over Joe’s remains to his family “when the case is already over,” Alexandra In Young Lee said.
They still don’t have any burial plans.
Police will not reveal the identity of the 19-year-old male driver, adding that the case is still under investigation.
Memorial fundraising
Some candles were seen lighted yesterday at the broken lamp post on Garapan St. in front of Mom’s Round Two bar and restaurant.
It was the spot where Joe stood before he crossed the street and was hit by a Toyota Highlander.
Last night, the “Friends of In Song ‘Joe’ Lee” held a memorial fundraising at Godfather’s Bar in Garapan in order to help the family pay for his medical and funeral expenses.
In 2004, Joe received a Self-Advocate Award from the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Joe, who spoke Chamorro, Carolinian, English, and Korean, was cited for his independence despite having a developmental disability, and for exercising his civil rights.
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