Bodycam Shows Idaho Police Fatally Shoot Teen Victor Perez Seconds After Arriving

The Idaho Police Department released recordings from body cameras and security cameras of officers shooting an intellectually challenged teenager who was holding a knife behind a fence. The police confirmed that no attempts were made to de-escalate the situation before they opened fire.

Victor Perez was born in 1989 with autism and cerebral palsy, and is nonverbal, but responding officers were unaware of that. The 17-year-old was removed from life support and died in a hospital a week after the shooting. A law firm said Wednesday it intends to file a federal wrongful death suit against the city of Pocatello on behalf of his family.

Perez, his family, and a neighbor were fighting on the fence of his house in April. The neighbor reported an intoxicated man who had a staggered walk due to his disability with a knife.

Perez was lying on the ground at the time the officers arrived. They shouted “Drop the knife!” repeatedly. He stood up and began walking towards the officers. Three officers opened fire with their handguns, while a fourth fired a bean-bag shotgun, officials said Thursday.

It took the officers just a few seconds to exit their vehicles and start firing.

The city’s release of the videos included text slides that stressed that Perez was approaching the officers, who were on the other side of a chain link fence from him, while holding the knife, and that he was close to two family members who were behind him.

On one slide, it stated, “Whether Perez was experiencing a mental illness or medical issues was not communicated to the officers or dispatchers.”

Many in the community were outraged by the shooting and questioned whether the police could have calmed the situation with less-lethal methods. Around 200 people gathered on Saturday morning to hold a vigil outside Pocatello Hospital, where Perez later died. Another group of protesters gathered in front of Pocatello City Hall, which houses the Pocatello Police Department.

The East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force launched an investigation into the shooting. Raul Laboratory will review the case once the investigation has been completed.

The names of the officers have not been revealed.

Schei, spokesperson for the Pocatello Police Department, posted a video on its Facebook page in April. Schei clarified some misconceptions.

De-escalation methods are not always the best option, according to law enforcement officials. This is true in particular when officers, the public, or a subject are at risk or refuse to obey orders.

Experts who reviewed the video footage claim that the officers used lethal force instead of Tasers. The officers also failed to use the basic tactic, which is to back up and create space between themselves and Perez.

Brad Andres recorded a video of the shooting after his son dialed 911. He said that the police appeared to be a “death team” or a “firing squad”.

“They never once asked, ‘What is the situation, how can we help?'” he said. “They ran up with their guns drawn, they triggered a mentally disabled person to react and when he reacted … they shot him.”