Additional Coverage:
- Autistic boy, 17, with cerebral palsy dies after being shot nine times by four police officers (irishstar.com)
POCATELLO, Idaho — A 17-year-old autistic boy with cerebral palsy has died after being shot by police earlier this month. Victor Perez was taken off life support Saturday after recent tests revealed no brain activity.
On April 5, Pocatello police responded to a 911 call reporting a man with a knife chasing another person. The man was later identified as Perez. According to family members, Perez, who had difficulty walking due to his disabilities, was holding a kitchen knife, and his family was attempting to disarm him.
A neighbor’s recording appears to show four officers arriving at the scene. As Perez, who had fallen, struggled to get up and moved toward the officers, they fired shots through a chain-link fence, striking him multiple times.
The family contends that officers made no attempt to de-escalate the situation and disregarded pleas from bystanders. Perez’s aunt, Ana Vazquez, questioned how officers could perceive Perez, who could barely walk, as a threat.
The shooting sparked outrage in the community, with roughly 200 people attending a vigil outside the hospital where Perez was treated. Another vigil was held at the family’s home Saturday evening. Following Perez’s death, Vazquez expressed the family’s devastation, saying, “Those police broke our family.”
The involved officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an independent investigation by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Team. Bannock County Prosecutor Ian Johnson stated that the investigation’s findings will be reviewed by an outside agency to ensure objectivity, and any decisions regarding potential charges will be made following that review.