A 17-year-old autistic, nonverbal boy, Victor Perez, tragically passed away on Saturday after being shot multiple times by Idaho police officers on April 5. Perez, who also had cerebral palsy, was left in a coma for several days following the shooting, and medical tests revealed no brain activity on Friday.
After undergoing numerous surgeries, including the removal of nine bullets and the amputation of his leg, he was taken off life support.
The Shooting Incident
The incident took place in Pocatello, Idaho, after police received a 911 call reporting that a man with a knife was chasing someone in a yard.
The responding officers arrived to find Perez, who was not intoxicated as the call had suggested, but rather struggling with his disabilities and walking with a staggered gait. Family members had been attempting to help him by trying to take the knife away from him.
According to a neighbor’s video of the scene, Perez fell to the ground in the yard just before four officers rushed to the fence surrounding the area. They immediately ordered him to drop the knife, but Perez, who was unsteady on his feet, stood up and began stumbling toward the officers.
Within 12 seconds of arriving, the officers opened fire, making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation.
The lack of effort to de-escalate and the quickness of the police response angered Perez’s family and the community. Ana Vazquez, Perez’s aunt, explained the family’s distress, saying, “Everybody was trying to tell the police, no, no… Those four officers didn’t care.”
She also pointed out that Perez, due to his disabilities, could not have easily approached the officers in the way they may have assumed. “How’s he going to jump the fence when he can barely walk?” she said.
Community Outrage and Vigil
The tragic loss has sparked outrage in the local community, with about 200 people attending a vigil on Saturday morning outside the hospital where Perez had been treated.
Another vigil was planned outside the family’s home later that evening. Vasquez expressed the deep pain the family felt following Perez’s death, saying, “Those police broke our family,” and described the emotional emptiness they were now experiencing. “It’s like our hearts are kind of empty — it’s not full anymore.”
Investigation and Official Response
In response to the incident, the four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave as an independent investigation is launched by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Team.
Decisions on whether charges will be filed against the officers will be made after the completion of the investigation, which will be reviewed by an agency outside Bannock County to ensure impartiality.
Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad expressed his condolences, stating that the city recognized the pain and grief caused by the shooting.
He assured the community that the investigation was being handled with the seriousness and respect it deserved, although further details would not be shared at this time to avoid interfering with the investigation.
Remembering Victor Perez
Perez was described by his family as a loving and caring individual. Vasquez shared that he loved watching professional wrestling, eating fries, and walking with his mother while holding her hand.
She also recalled how Perez would notice when she painted her nails his favorite color, blue, or when she wore a new hairstyle, showing his admiration by touching her hair.
“I’m going to miss him when he used to get in his weird moods, and I used to put him to bed,” Vasquez said, recalling the special moments with her nephew. “He wouldn’t want to sleep and would wake up again, and I would have to walk him back to the bed.”
She expressed the difficulty of moving forward, saying that while an autopsy would be performed soon, the family was in need of time to rest and process their immense loss.
Looking Forward
The tragic death of Victor Perez has left his family and the Pocatello community devastated. The family’s call for justice and the ongoing investigation into the officer-involved shooting will likely remain a focal point in the coming weeks, as the community seeks answers and accountability for what transpired that fateful day.
