Police shooting of teen in eastern Idaho city draws calls for accountability
Footage of police officers shooting at a teen repeatedly in response to a disturbance has sparked public outrage and a protest calling for accountability in an eastern Idaho city.
After arriving at a Pocatello home, officers opened fire and shot a suspect who 'was intoxicated' and wielded a knife, the Pocatello Police Department said in a news release. Video footage of the Saturday shooting on North Harrison Avenue from a neighbor was posted on social media and showed four officers firing within 30 seconds of their arrival.
The shooting prompted a protest outside of the police department over the weekend. Protesters and several local news outlets identified the person who was shot as a 17-year-old boy with autism who was physically impaired. In its initial Saturday news release, the Pocatello Police Department called the teen a 'male subject,' and later clarified during a news conference Monday that he's 17 years old.
More than 500 people had signed a Change.org petition calling for an independent investigation into the shooting as of Monday afternoon.
Police said officers initiated 'immediate life-saving measures,' and the teen was transported to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello. No officers were injured, according to the news release. Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei at the news conference said the teen remains hospitalized.
'In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds, they assess threats not just to themselves but to those nearby,' Schei said. 'In this case, two individuals were within a few feet of an armed noncompliant individual. The risk was immediate, and the situation rapidly evolving.'
A three-minute video of the incident taken from a neighbor's home, which East Idaho News shared with the Idaho Statesman, showed the teenager on his hands and knees in the front yard of a nearby home when a woman came behind him and touched his back. He turned around as he held something in his hand, and the object he was holding caused the woman to back away, repeatedly saying, 'No.' The woman attempted to grab the teen several more times, while someone yelled in Spanish to call the police, the video showed.
The neighbors can be heard speaking from their home, and one said it looked like the teen might be having a seizure. They continued to talk about the dispute while on the phone with the city's emergency dispatch to report the incident.
On a recording of the 911 call played during Monday's news conference, the neighbor told police the teen was 'brandishing a knife' and looked like he was under the influence of alcohol.
The four responding officers got out of their vehicles, drew their guns, lined up behind the yard's chain link fence — which was between them and the teen — and yelled at him to drop his weapon. As the officers approached the yard, the teen began to stand up. Before he could take more than two steps toward them, the officers fired their guns — less than 20 seconds after their arrival. Their firearms can be heard going off at least six times in the video.
The boy's family told KIFI-TV, a local station that covers Idaho Falls and Pocatello, that he was shot nine times.
Officers gave 'repeated commands' to the teen to drop the knife, Schei said at the news conference. He said the teen didn't comply, stood up and advanced toward the officers 'while still armed.' The video showed that all four officers approached the fence with their guns drawn when they arrived and didn't attempt to distance themselves.
Schei also showed a picture of a large kitchen knife at the news conference, which he said the teen had.
His aunt, Ana Vazquez, told the news outlet that he wasn't going after police, and that he has 'impairments' and can barely walk. She said he 'might not survive' and his leg was amputated, KIFI-TV reported.
Leslie Egbert, a community member who attended Sunday's protest, told the Statesman that the teen has autism and cerebral palsy. He is Puerto Rican and also doesn't speak English, she said.
'We know this incident has deeply affected the community,' Schei said. 'We are also aware of the videos circulating online, which shows only one angle. The full picture requires careful review of all facts and evidence.'
When reached by phone, Pocatello Police Lt. Theo VanderSchaaf directed the Statesman to the Bannock County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident as part of the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force. Police are also conducting an internal investigation, Schei said.
Emma Iannacone, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told the Statesman by email agency officials are gathering evidence from the shooting, including 911 calls, body-camera footage and eyewitness statements. Once they complete the investigation, Iannacone said, it will be turned over to an outside prosecutor, who will determine whether criminal charges will be filed. This is a routine process for police shootings in Idaho.
Since the sheriff's office was 'so early in the investigation,' Iannacone said, the office wasn't able to answer several of the questions sent by the Statesman, including one asking for the officers' names.
'We respect that the public has a high level of interest and concern in this matter, and we will be as transparent as the investigation allows,' Iannacone said. 'However, we will not compromise the integrity of the case, so we appreciate the public's patience as more information comes to light.'
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