The video of eyewitnesses captured at the time the police triggered a mental and physical disability 17 times in their front courtyard, leaving him fighting for his life and his family asked for answers.
Victor Pérez was shot on Saturday at home in the city of Pocatello, Idaho, seconds after the police arrived. His family told the local media that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and that he was wielding a knife.
The police have not formally identified Pérez, except confirming his age, but his family verified his identity to the local media. The family said it has cerebral palsy, affecting its ability to walk, and speak limited English.
The Kifi television station reported that the family was told that the child’s left leg was amputated in one of the three operations in the hospital after the shooting, where he is in critical condition.
The video of eyewitnesses posted on Facebook shows a person lying on the ground holding a knife in a patio. A woman is seen protesting with him, saying “no, no” and trying to contain or grab the knife.
To the 2:44 brand, the police arrive and four armed officers begin to shout, “release the knife” from behind the steel garden fence. Pérez struggles to stand before moving towards police officers, who open fire at 2:58, followed by the terrified shouts of his family.
Ana Vázquez, an aunt of Pérez, told Kifi: “He has the brain of a small child, about 5 years old. He is disabled. He can barely walk. The people here, can tell you that.”
She added that while stirring, he can calm down. “We can always control it,” he told the station.
Police said in a statement on Saturday that they were called in response to a “reported physical disturbance that involved two male subjects and a woman,” and added that “it was reported that one of the male subjects was intoxicated and in possession of a knife.”
At a press conference on Monday night, the Pocatello police chief Roger Schei played the 911 call to the Police and showed a photo of the knife that Pérez was holding. The person who calls to tell the 911 operator that one man was hitting another with a stick is heard.
Schei said he could not take questions from the media due to ongoing investigations. The Task Force of Critical Incidents of East Idaho and the Pocatello Police are investigating the shooting.
He said the officers gave “repeated commands” for Pérez to let the knife fall.
“He did not fulfill, instead he stood up and advanced to the officers while he was still armed,” Schei said. “At that time, the officers downloaded their firearms, stopping when the man fell.”
I defend the actions of their officers, Schei said: “In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds. They evaluate threats not only for themselves but for the nearby.”
“In this case, two individuals were a few feet from an unin -armed individual: the risk was immediate and the situation in rapid evolution.”
Schei said the officers provided treatment to save lives before being taken to the Regional Medical Center of Portneuf in Pocatello. He added that the police knew that the incident had “deeply affected the community.”
He said that the video of the filming that circulates online shows only an angle and that “all the facts and evidence” must be reviewed.
Brad Andrés, who says he took the video, told Kifi that he did not believe there was a legal need to use force.
“I was having a really bad day with mental problems, but I was not chasing anyone, and they could all get out of their knife. So this was not a really dangerous situation,” he said.
Some local residents protested the shooting on Sunday outside the Pocatello police department.
One of the homemade banks of the protesters said: “Why were your weapons drawn?”
