CW: Police Brutality & Death
Victor Perez died on Saturday after being taken off life support. He was shot by police in his backyard.
Perez who was autistic and had cerebral palsy was shot nine times in his backyard in Pocatello, a community of 60,000 in southeastern Idaho. He was separated from the officers by a chain-link fence.
Victor was taken off life support on April 12, four days after doctors amputated one of his legs in a desperate attempt to save his life. The police officers were placed on administrative leave. The city noted in a statement issued hours before Victor’s death that criminal, external, and internal investigations were all continuing. The Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force is conducting an external investigation, and the findings “will be released at some point in the future,” according to the statement.
A witness called 911 at 5:22 p.m., telling the operator that a man with a kitchen knife who “seems pretty drunk” was following people around in a backyard, according to audio released by the Pocatello Police Department. Perez is shown on video on the ground with a knife in his hand as a woman tries to strike it out of his grasp with a stick. Four officers arrived soon after, parking near the backyard and approaching from behind the fence.
As the teenager turned toward the police and started to stand up, they yelled “Drop the knife” and aimed their guns at him. One police officer was wielding what seemed to be a shotgun. Perez then approached the fence, and officers fired several times while family members screamed.
Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei said on 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.”
Victor’s death is part of a disturbing trend. According to a 2016 report from the Ruderman Family Foundation, nearly half of the people who die at the hands of police have some disability. The police are frequently called when someone is experiencing a behavioral or mental health crisis. In these situations, urgent care may be more suitable than lethal action.
Autistic people often interact with police early in life. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, found that by the age of 21, almost 20% of autistic young adults had been stopped and questioned by police. Additionally, nearly 5% had been arrested.
Law enforcement officers are often not trained to deal with disabled people or those experiencing a mental health crisis. In these cases, calling the police can do more harm than good. Victor deserves justice.
Sources:
Bacon, John, and Christopher Cann. “Autistic Teen Shot by Police in Idaho Dies, and a Community Is ‘Torn Apart.’” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 13 Apr. 2025, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/13/autistic-idaho-teen-shot-by-police-dies/83070371007/.
Rava, Julianna, et al. ‘The Prevalence and Correlates of Involvement in the Criminal Justice System Among Youth on the Autism Spectrum’. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 47, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 340–346, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2958-3.
Walsh, John. “Mentally Ill Often a Target, but Chicago Police Might Have a Solution.” International Business Times, IBT Media, 18 Jan. 2017, https://www.ibtimes.com/police-killings-race-2016-mentally-ill-often-target-chicago-police-might-have-2476586.
Too many autistic or mentally ill people have been shock due to untrained officers. Many community agencies supporting mentally ill and autistic individuals offer training for free.
Some departments do offer training.