Victor Perez, Pocatello, Idaho autistic teen dies after being fired on 9 times by 4 police officers responding to domestic incident amid questions of overt police force and demands that cops now face charges.
An Idaho community has expressed outrage, with some even demanding charged be brought forward following the shooting death of an autistic Pocatello teen earlier this month at the hands of 4 responding police officers.
Victor Perez, 17, a nonverbal teen with cerebral palsy, was separated from the officers by a chain-link fence when he was shot nine times in his backyard when a neighbor across the street noticed a ‘disturbance’ and thought to call police to help quell the domestic issue. Instead, responding cops shot the disabled teen dead.
Idaho police shoot Hispanic autistic teen when responding to domestic call.
Victor Perez was not going after police—he’s disabled & can barely walk.
“I called police to help family de-escalate situation,” cried neighbor. “We were trying to help, not bring a firing squad down to… pic.twitter.com/nSMEpyJEb1
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) April 7, 2025
Did Pocatello Police use excessive force?
The episode which occurred on the afternoon of April 5 led to 4 responding cops opening gunfire, firing off 9 rounds and striking the boy after seemingly lunging at cops from behind a fence at least 20 feet away. Many have wondered why police resorted to the use of excessive force along with many saying the lives of police were never in danger. Nevertheless lethal force was used.
Released audio of the 911 call by the Pocatello Police Dept made on 5.22 p.m, April 5, relayed the neighbor, Brad Andres, telling the dispatcher that a man with a kitchen knife who ‘seems pretty drunk’ was chasing people around in a backyard. That man was 17 year old Perez an autistic teen with learning disabilities who had become irritable that day following a disturbance involving his mother. It was then that officers with the Pocatello Police Department were sent off to the residence at just on 5.30 p.m.
Captured video shows Perez on the ground with a knife as a woman tries to knock it out of his hand with a stick. A short time later, four officers parked near the backyard and approached from behind the fence.
As the teen turned toward police and began standing up, the officers yelled ‘drop the knife‘ and aimed their firearms at him, including one officer with what appears to be a shotgun. Perez then began to approach the fence and officers fired multiple times as family members screamed.
17-year-old Victor Perez, a nonverbal autistic teen with cerebral palsy, has died after being shot multiple times by Idaho police. He was behind a fence holding a knife. His family says he posed no threat. The officers are on leave as an investigation begins. #JusticeForVictor pic.twitter.com/KWWGWwvrXy
— Evoclique (@Evoclique_) April 13, 2025
Protesters are rallying outside the Pocatello Police Department in strong support of a 17-year-old Hispanic autistic teen with physical disabilities who was unjustly shot by police during a local domestic incident.
According to the family, the teen was shot nine times and is now… pic.twitter.com/q8MNfZrkff
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) April 7, 2025
Will 4 Pocatello Police officers face charges?
At the time of the shooting, Perez was hospitalised and requiring surgery with his left leg amputated as a consequence of the shooting. Less than 4 days later, the teen would mortally succumb to his wounds, after he was taken off life support on April 12.
Several hundred people gathered outside Portneuf Medical Center to show support for Perez and his family before his death, EastIdahoNews.com reported. Many gathered later for a protest near the Pocatello Police Department headquarters.
‘This is a grassroots event,’ Sunny Nelson, who led some of the chants at the rally, told the local news outlet. ‘There’s just a lot of people who are upset and … feel the need to make their voice heard.’
Family members and neighbors have questioned why police did not do more to de-escalate the situation or use non-lethal weapons. While others wondered whether the lives of cops were ever in any jeopardy and whether the impulse to use overt force, as part of police training ought to have been the default response?
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave. Criminal, external and internal investigations were ongoing, the city said in a statement issued hours before Victor’s death.
An external investigation was being led by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force, and the findings ‘will be released at some point in the future,’ the statement said. It remained unclear what disciplinary measures the officers faced and whether local prosecutors would seek to bring charges, if any, against the police officers.
The names of the officers involved was not publicly released.
