Autistic teen shot by police in Idaho dies, and a community is 'torn apart'

Family, friends and loved ones on April 13 were mourning the death of an autistic Idaho teen with cerebral palsy who was shot by police officers a week earlier after he approached them with a knife.

Victor Perez, 17, was separated from the officers by a chain-link fence when he was shot nine times in his backyard in Pocatello, a city of 60,000 in southeastern Idaho that is home to Idaho State University. Victor was taken off life support April 12, four days after physicians amputated one of his legs in a desperate attempt to save his life.

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.”

Serenity Jones Perry, who has two nephews with autism, told EastIdahoNews.com she attended the vigil with her mother, Angela Diaz, to show her support for Victor’s family.

“If that happened to one of my family members, I would be torn apart, and I wanted to show (the family) that I care,” Jones-Perry said.

Mayor says shooting brought pain to community

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.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time. We recognize the pain and grief this incident has caused in our community,” Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said in the statement.

911 call released

A witness called 911 at approximately 5:22 p.m., telling the dispatcher that a man with a kitchen knife who "seems pretty drunk" was chasing people around in a backyard, according to audio released by the Pocatello Police Department. 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 quickly 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.

Video of the incident quickly circulated online and sparked outrage. Family members and neighbors questioned why police did not do more to de-escalate the situation or use nonlethal weapons.

'Risk was immediate,' chief says

Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei said April 7 that Perez did not comply with "repeated commands" to drop the knife.

"In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds," he 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, noncompliant individual. The risk was immediate and the situation rapidly evolving."

He also said the video of the incident does not show the full picture of what happened and a more thorough investigation is needed.

(This story was updated to include video.)