Outrage builds as video shows Idaho police shooting a knife-wielding autistic teenager
Source: AP
By GENE JOHNSON, CLAUDIA LAUER and MARK THIESSEN
Updated 9:12 PM CDT, April 8, 2025
Idaho police officers opened fire from behind a chain-link fence just seconds after exiting their patrol cars and critically wounded a teenage boy described by his family as nonverbal, autistic and intellectually disabled as he stepped toward them with a knife, video from a witness shows.
Seventeen-year-old Victor Perez, who also has cerebral palsy, remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after having nine bullets removed from his body and having his leg amputated, Ana Vazquez, his aunt, told The Associated Press. Doctors were planning tests on his brain activity.
We dont know if hes going to wake up, she said.
The shooting Saturday in Pocatello outraged the boys family and neighbors as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation or use less lethal weapons. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the police department Sunday, eastidahonews.com reported.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/idaho-police-autism-shooting-teen-d9eef615233c7e95d4fa3ee8a627f7d2
NINE times they shot him?


sop
(13,796 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(54,818 posts)Fla Dem
(26,539 posts)The kid had Cerebral Palsy for F-sake. But I'm sure the cops will be found to have taken appropriate action.
2naSalit
(96,491 posts)Pocatato police is that they are mostly wannabe jack-booted thugs with leather gloves and won't take off their sunglasses when 'talking' to you. Very demanding and don't give a fuck about whatever the issue might be. They just see every call as a means to re-enact some bullshit they saw on the teevee last night.
I'm not at all surprised.
multigraincracker
(35,467 posts)Whos going to arrest me, Im a cop.
Tadpole Raisin
(1,754 posts)I mean autistic non verbal w/ CP? - give me a break.
You just know they are going to try to bury this.
The felon would like this. He did cancel the health insurance of his relatives child who had CP (though ended up reinstating it) and didnt he say it would be better if the kid just died IIRC?
These cops are the felon in chiefs kind of people.
hamsterjill
(15,767 posts)After Uvalde (I grew up there), some of the shit that they are getting away with these days just makes my skin crawl.
But just like Trump, who's going to stop them. Put them in jail, and hell, he will just pardon them.
The situation being discussed in this thread is absolutely gut wrenching and should never have happened obviously.
kimbutgar
(24,890 posts)But when the police came he calmed down immediately but we showed him this last night to remind him.
So sad seeing this. I was at a balloon interactive exhibit yesterday with my son and I saw a woman standing over a young man who was autistic who lost his toy in a ball pit at this exhibit, She couldnt leave him to find the toy and I talked with her and him and said Moms going to get you another toy. I would have gone into that ball pit to find that toy but I had to keep an eye on my own son. I hope she was able to get him to move on. Ive been there myself at times.
But these police all need to be fired for over reacting because there are a lot of autistic kids out there who are adults !
lark
(24,932 posts)Cops are out of control and a threat to us, never call them, they only make things worse!
LudwigPastorius
(12,252 posts)Cirsium
(2,339 posts)No.
Disband the police.