A teenager, described by his family as having autism and cerebral palsy, is in critical condition after being shot by police in Idaho over the weekend while allegedly wielding a knife.
Footage of the shooting has since been shared by multiple outlets including CNN and the Associated Press, with the teen being identified by family as 17-year-old Victor Perez.
Chief Roger Schei of the Pocatello Police Department shared in a news conference this week that officers got a call about a “reported disturbance” in the area of North Harrison Avenue at 5:22 p.m. on Saturday, April 5.
In a 911 call shared by authorities, a caller could be heard claiming that a man was “brandishing a knife” and “looked like he’s under the influence” in the “backyard of a residence.” Officers then responded to the scene at 5:25 p.m., where they allegedly discovered a “male on the ground holding a large knife.” Schei did not publicly identify the person.
Per a news release shared by the department, the “reported physical disturbance” involved “two male subjects and a female.”
Two women were “a few feet away” from the teenager in the backyard while another man was “just outside the fence,” Schei added. “Officers positioned just outside the yard gave repeated commands for the male to drop the knife,” the police chief said. “He did not comply. Instead, he stood up and advanced toward the officers while still armed.”
Officers then shot at the suspect — with the footage showing four of them pointing weapons at him — before they stopped when he “fell,” Schei said. They then began “life-saving measures,” before he was transferred to hospital, per police. The department added in its press release that “further details will be provided as they become available,” with Schei sharing during his press conference that he couldn’t take questions due to the ongoing investigation.
The officer-involved shooting is now being investigated by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force and is also the subject of an internal investigation, the Pocatello Police Department.
“In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds,” the police chief said. “They assess threats, not just to themselves, but to those nearby. In this case, two individuals were within a few feet of an armed, non-compliant individual. The risk was immediate and the situation, rapidly evolving.”
Ana Vazquez, the teen’s aunt, told the AP that family — who describes him as nonverbal — doesn’t know “if he’s going to wake up,” with him remaining in critical condition as of Tuesday, April 8. Per the aunt, he had nine bullets removed from his body and had his leg amputated.
“The police barely spoke to anyone,” Vazquez told the outlet, which noted that officers opened fire within 12 seconds of exiting their patrol vehicles. “They just said get back and they just, they shot to kill.”
Brad Andres, who took the video, told the AP that his 19-year-old son Bridger called 911, noting that when police arrived, they “appeared to be like a death squad or a firing squad.”
“They never once asked, ‘What is the situation, how can we help?’ They ran up with their guns drawn, they triggered a mentally disabled person to react and when he reacted … they shot him,” Andres said.
“This was really traumatic for me to watch, for me and my son to be a part of. My son was the one that called the 911 with the hopes of helping the family deal with the situation that was going on. He had no idea that what was going to transpire.”
Vazquez, the teen’s aunt, told the AP that his 16-year-old sister told police to not shoot and that he was “special.”
Per ABC affiliate KIVI, he has since undergone three surgeries, is in a coma and is hooked up to a ventilator.
The outlet notes that doctors are testing his brain function, with his aunt sharing that the family is “not going to unplug him,” even “if he has brain damage.
A Change.org petition has since been launched, calling for an “an immediate and thorough investigation,” and has gained over 4,000 signatures as of Thursday, April 10. A GoFundMe campaign, shared by East Idaho News, has also been launched and has raised $11,000.
I, am a retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer. I received my defense training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC),in Glynco, Georgia. On the matter of a subject wielding any type of knife. The Officer should maintain a minimum distance of 20 feet from the knife wielding subject for safety purposes and the ability to avoid knife injury. If the subject advances towards the officer, the officer should retreat in kind. This action gives the officer the opportunity to analyze the situation, evaluate the danger possibility, and try to get the subject to drop the knife. The Video shows four officers running towards the subject who was inside a fenced closed perimeter. The safety space for the subject and the officers was totally violated with total disregard of standard operating procedures for law enforcement officers. The video shows the subject with the knife in his hand, however,the subject’s wielding knife intent is not depicted to any action of throwing the knife at the officers. At any incident, only one officer is assigned to handle the situation. All four officers discharged their weapon without just cause. The Police Chief stated that “The risk was immediate and the situation rapidly evolving.” No body was in IMMINENT DANGER.” That is the standard operating procedure for discharging the weapon against any subject. The shooting was an overkill. No officers or the public was in danger of losing their life.
Good example of why ya should be careful what you say on 911. The man with a gun “seems intoxicated”. Probably, predisposed responding officers to be overly ready to expect and react to a perceived threat from this kid. Bad set of circumstances all the way around.
Well if the attacker has a knife then the police must make a decision for their safety