Eyewitness video captured the moment police shot a mentally and physically disabled 17-year-old nine times in his front yard, leaving him fighting for his life and his family calling for answers.
Victor Perez was shot Saturday at his home in the town of Pocatello, Idaho, seconds after police arrived. His family told local news outlets he was experiencing a mental health crisis and was brandishing a knife.
Police haven’t formally identified Perez, except by confirming his age, but his family verified his identity to local news outlets. The family said he has cerebral palsy, affecting his ability to walk, and speaks limited English.
TV station KIFI reported that the family was told that the boy’s left leg was amputated in one of three operations at the hospital after the shooting, where he is in critical condition.
The eyewitness video posted to Facebook shows a person lying on the ground holding a knife in a yard. A woman is seen remonstrating with him, saying “no, no,” and attempting to restrain him or grab the knife.
At the 2:44 mark, the police arrive, and four armed officers begin shouting, “Drop the knife” from behind the steel garden fence. Perez struggles to stand up before he moves toward the police officers, who open fire at 2:58, followed by the terrified screams of his family.
Ana Vazquez, an aunt of Perez, told KIFI: “He has the brain of a little kid, about 5 years old. He is disabled. He can hardly walk. People around here, they can tell you that.”
She added that while he becomes agitated, he can calm himself down. “We always can control him,” she told the station.
Police said in a statement Saturday that they were called in response to a “reported physical disturbance involving two male subjects and a female,” adding that “it was reported that one of the male subjects was intoxicated and in possession of a knife.”
At a news conference Monday night, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei played the 911 call to police and showed a picture of the knife Perez was holding. The caller is heard telling the 911 operator that one man was hitting another with a stick.
Schei said he couldn’t take questions from the media because of ongoing investigations. The East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force and the Pocatello Police are investigating the shooting.
He said officers gave “repeated commands” for Perez to drop the knife.
“He did not comply — instead he stood up and advanced towards the officers while still armed,” Schei said. “At that point officers discharged their firearms, stopping when the male fell.”
Defending his officers’ actions, Schei said: “In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds. They assess threats not just to themselves but to those nearby.”
“In this case, two individuals were within a few feet of an armed noncompliant individual — the risk was immediate and the situation rapidly evolving.”
Schei said officers provided life-saving treatment before he was taken to Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello. He added that police were aware that the incident had “deeply affected the community.”
He said that the video of the shooting circulating online shows only one angle and that “all facts and evidence” should be reviewed.
Brad Andres, who says he took the video, told KIFI that he did not believe there was a legal need to use force.
“He was having a really bad day with mental issues, but he wasn’t chasing anybody, and everybody could easily get out of the reach of his knife. So this wasn’t a really dangerous situation,” he said.
Some local residents protested the shooting Sunday outside the Pocatello Police Department.
One of the protesters’ homemade placards read, “Why were your guns drawn?”
