Body-worn camera footage shows Idaho police shot autistic teen Victor Perez 16 seconds after arriving
Newly released body-worn camera footage shows the moment Idaho police officers fatally shot autistic 17-year-old Victor Perez nine times earlier this month, prompting protests and potential legal action.
Newly released body-worn camera footage shows the moment Idaho police officers fatally shot autistic 17-year-old Victor Perez nine times earlier this month, prompting protests and potential legal action.
The April 5 footage shows there were about 16 seconds from the moment police arrived at the Perez family home in Pocatello, Idaho, to the moment shots were fired.
In the video, one officer is heard loudly shouting "drop the knife" five times before firing — but no other words or commands are audible. According to his aunt, Anna Vasquez, Perez had cerebral palsy, was nonverbal and had the mental age of a 5 year old.
Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad told reporters Thursday night that the city was voluntarily releasing the footage and the audio of the 911 call made by a neighbor as Perez's family struggled with him during a barbecue.
Perez was holding a knife when police arrived at the house, but was separated from the officers by a metal fence. He died in the hospital a week after the shooting, after he was declared brain dead and his life support was turned off.
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