Latest news with #Schei
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Idaho Teen with Autism Shot by Police Dies After Being Removed From Life Support
A teenager with autism and cerebral palsy died after being shot multiple times by police in Idaho for allegedly approaching them with a knife, according to the Associated Press. The teen, identified by family as 17-year-old Victor Perez, had been in critical condition since the April 5 shooting in Pocatello, according to a GoFundMe campaign. Victor's aunt, Ana Vazquez, told the AP on April 12 that the boy, who was described as nonverbal, died after being taken off life support. The teen had undergone several surgeries and had his leg amputated, the aunt said, per the outlet. On April 5, officers with the Pocatello Police Department responded to a home after receiving a call about a "reported disturbance,' Chief Roger Schei said at a news conference last week. The 911 caller claimed a man was "brandishing a knife' and 'looked like he's under the influence' in the 'backyard of a residence,' per the call shared by authorities. When officers arrived at the scene, they allegedly found a 'male on the ground holding a large knife.' "Officers positioned just outside the yard gave repeated commands for the male to drop the knife," the police chief said. "He did not comply. Instead, he stood up and advanced toward the officers while still armed.' Related: Teen with Autism, Cerebral Palsy Critically Wounded After Being Shot by Idaho Police While Allegedly Wielding Knife Officers then shot at the suspect — with footage shared by CNN and the Associated Press showing four of them pointing weapons at him — before they stopped when he 'fell," Schei said. The suspect was later identified by family as Victor. According to the GoFundMe campaign, he had been "struggling with mental health issues." 'Victor is physically disabled and unable to walk well, and his sister was struggling to help him stand up off the ground in their front yard,' the fundraiser reads. 'A neighbor called the police to de-escalate the situation, and four members of the Pocatello PD arrived on the scene and within 30 seconds had shot him.' Police said they began 'life-saving measures,' before he was transferred to the hospital. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Vazquez claimed to the AP that officers 'didn't care. They didn't ask what was happening, what was the situation.' 'How's he going to jump the fence when he can barely walk?' the aunt added, per the outlet. According to the Associated Press, more than 200 people attended a vigil for Victor on April 12 outside the hospital where he was being treated. Protesters also gathered outside the Pocatello City Hall building, which houses the police department. The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force and is also the subject of an internal investigation, per the Pocatello Police Department. Schei declined to take questions at the news conference, citing the ongoing investigation. 'In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds," the police chief 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, non-compliant individual. The risk was immediate and the situation, rapidly evolving." The AP reports that the officers involved in the shooting have since been placed on administrative leave. Their names have not been made public. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Outrage builds as video shows Idaho police shooting a knife-wielding teen across a chain-link fence
Video taken by a witness shows Idaho police officers shooting and critically wounding a teenage boy — described by his family as nonverbal, autistic and intellectually disabled — as he began walking toward them with a knife from the other side of a chain-link fence. The boy, 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. 'We don't know if he's going to wake up,' she said. The video has prompted outrage from the boy's family as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars on Saturday while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation. 'This was really traumatic for me to watch, for me and my son to be a part of,' Brad Andres, who recorded the video, told The Associated Press. 'My son was the one that called the 911 with the hopes of helping the family deal with the situation that was going on. He had no idea that what was going to transpire.' Andres' son called 911 around 5:22 p.m. Saturday to report a domestic dispute in a nearby backyard. An apparently intoxicated man was wielding a kitchen knife and periodically chasing a man and woman in the yard, he reported, according to audio of the 911 call released by the Pocatello Police Department. 'He seems pretty drunk," the caller told a dispatcher. "He's just running at them with a knife and then falling over. I think he just stabbed himself, actually.' The caller noted that the people in the yard were not speaking English. 'He looks like he fell on the ground and kind of passed out,' the caller said. The teen was still on the ground when police arrived at about 5:25 p.m. Four officers ran to the fence, ordering him to drop the knife — in English. Instead, the boy stood up and began taking steps toward them with the knife in his hand. The officers shot repeatedly. In a video statement posted to the Pocatello Police Department's Facebook page on Monday, Chief Roger Schei said he wanted to 'provide clarity, share the information we can at this stage and address some misconceptions that have emerged.' 'We understand the concern and emotion surrounding the officer-involved shooting that occurred,' Schei said. Schei said he would not answer questions about the shooting because of an investigation being conducted by the East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force. 'In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds,' Schei 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.' He added: 'We are also aware of the video circulating online, which shows only one angle. The full picture requires careful review of all facts and evidence.' ___ Johnson reported from Seattle, Lauer from Philadelphia and Thiessen from Anchorage, Alaska.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Associated Press
Outrage builds as video shows Idaho police shooting a knife-wielding teen across a chain-link fence
Video taken by a witness shows Idaho police officers shooting and critically wounding a teenage boy — described by his family as nonverbal, autistic and intellectually disabled — as he began walking toward them with a knife from the other side of a chain-link fence. The boy, 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. 'We don't know if he's going to wake up,' she said. The video has prompted outrage from the boy's family as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars on Saturday while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation. 'This was really traumatic for me to watch, for me and my son to be a part of,' Brad Andres, who recorded the video, told The Associated Press. 'My son was the one that called the 911 with the hopes of helping the family deal with the situation that was going on. He had no idea that what was going to transpire.' Andres' son called 911 around 5:22 p.m. Saturday to report a domestic dispute in a nearby backyard. An apparently intoxicated man was wielding a kitchen knife and periodically chasing a man and woman in the yard, he reported, according to audio of the 911 call released by the Pocatello Police Department. 'He seems pretty drunk,' the caller told a dispatcher. 'He's just running at them with a knife and then falling over. I think he just stabbed himself, actually.' The caller noted that the people in the yard were not speaking English. 'He looks like he fell on the ground and kind of passed out,' the caller said. The teen was still on the ground when police arrived at about 5:25 p.m. Four officers ran to the fence, ordering him to drop the knife — in English. Instead, the boy stood up and began taking steps toward them with the knife in his hand. The officers shot repeatedly. In a video statement posted to the Pocatello Police Department's Facebook page on Monday, Chief Roger Schei said he wanted to 'provide clarity, share the information we can at this stage and address some misconceptions that have emerged.' 'We understand the concern and emotion surrounding the officer-involved shooting that occurred,' Schei said. Schei said he would not answer questions about the shooting because of an investigation being conducted by the East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force. 'In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds,' Schei 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.' He added: 'We are also aware of the video circulating online, which shows only one angle. The full picture requires careful review of all facts and evidence.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Teen fighting for his life after police shoot him 9 times in his back yard
Eyewitness video captured the moment police shot a mentally and physically disabled 17-year-old nine times in his front yard, leaving him fighting for his life and his family calling for answers. Victor Perez was shot Saturday at his home in the town of Pocatello, Idaho, seconds after police arrived. His family told local news outlets he was experiencing a mental health crisis and was brandishing a knife. Police haven't formally identified Perez, except by confirming his age, but his family verified his identity to local news outlets. The family said he has cerebral palsy, affecting his ability to walk, and speaks limited English. TV station KIFI reported that the family was told that the boy's left leg was amputated in one of three operations at the hospital after the shooting, where he is in critical condition. The eyewitness video posted to Facebook shows a person lying on the ground holding a knife in a yard. A woman is seen remonstrating with him, saying "no, no," and attempting to restrain him or grab the knife. At the 2:44 mark, the police arrive, and four armed officers begin shouting, "Drop the knife" from behind the steel garden fence. Perez struggles to stand up before he moves toward the police officers, who open fire at 2:58, followed by the terrified screams of his family. Ana Vazquez, an aunt of Perez, told KIFI: 'He has the brain of a little kid, about 5 years old. He is disabled. He can hardly walk. People around here, they can tell you that.' She added that while he becomes agitated, he can calm himself down. "We always can control him," she told the station. Police said in a statement Saturday that they were called in response to a "reported physical disturbance involving two male subjects and a female," adding that "it was reported that one of the male subjects was intoxicated and in possession of a knife." At a news conference Monday night, Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei played the 911 call to police and showed a picture of the knife Perez was holding. The caller is heard telling the 911 operator that one man was hitting another with a stick. Schei said he couldn't take questions from the media because of ongoing investigations. The East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force and the Pocatello Police are investigating the shooting. He said officers gave "repeated commands" for Perez to drop the knife. "He did not comply — instead he stood up and advanced towards the officers while still armed," Schei said. "At that point officers discharged their firearms, stopping when the male fell." Defending his officers' actions, Schei said: "In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds. 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." Schei said officers provided life-saving treatment before he was taken to Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello. He added that police were aware that the incident had 'deeply affected the community.' He said that the video of the shooting circulating online shows only one angle and that 'all facts and evidence' should be reviewed. Brad Andres, who says he took the video, told KIFI that he did not believe there was a legal need to use force. "He was having a really bad day with mental issues, but he wasn't chasing anybody, and everybody could easily get out of the reach of his knife. So this wasn't a really dangerous situation," he said. Some local residents protested the shooting Sunday outside the Pocatello Police Department. One of the protesters' homemade placards read, 'Why were your guns drawn?' This article was originally published on
NBC News
08-04-2025
- NBC News
Teen fighting for life after police shot him 9 times in his back yard
Eyewitness video captured the moment police shot a mentally and physically disabled 17-year-old nine times in his front yard, leaving him fighting for his life and his family calling for answers. Victor Perez was shot at his home in the town of Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday, seconds after police arrived. His family told local news outlets he was experiencing a mental health crisis and was brandishing a knife. Police haven't formally identified Perez, except by confirming his age, but his family verified his identity to local news outlets. The family said he has cerebral palsy, affecting his ability to walk, and he only speaks limited English. Local station KIFI reported that the family was told that the boy's left leg was amputated in one of three operations at the hospital after the shooting, where he is still fighting for his life in critical condition. The eyewitness video posted to Facebook shows a person lying on the ground holding a knife in a yard. A woman is seen remonstrating with him, saying "no, no," and attempting to restrain him or grab the knife. At the 2:44 mark, the police arrive, and four armed officers begin shouting, "Drop the knife" from behind the steel garden fence. Perez struggles to stand up before he moves towards the police officers, who open fire at 2:58, followed by the terrified screams of his family. Ana Vazquez, an aunt of Perez, told local news station KIFI: 'He has the brain of a little kid, about five years old. He is disabled. He can hardly walk. People around here, they can tell you that.' She added that while he becomes agitated, he can calm himself down. "We always can control him," she told the station. Police said in a statement on Saturday they were called in response to a "reported physical disturbance involving two male subjects and a female," adding that "it was reported that one of the male subjects was intoxicated and in possession of a knife." Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei held a Monday night news conference in which he played a 911 call that alerted police to a disturbance at the property and showed a picture of the knife Perez was holding. The caller is heard telling the 911 operator that one man was hitting another with a stick. Schei said he couldn't take questions from the media because of ongoing investigations. The East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force has begun an investigation into the shooting, and Pocatello Police will hold a parallel investigation. He said officers gave "repeated commands" for Perez to drop the knife. "He did not comply — instead he stood up and advanced towards the officers while still armed," Schei said. "At that point officers discharged their firearms, stopping when the male fell." Defending his officers' actions, Schei said: "In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds. They assess threats not just to themselves but to those nearby." "In this case, two individuals were within a few feet of an armed non-compliant individual — the risk was immediate and the situation rapidly evolving." Schei said officers provided life-saving treatment before he was taken to Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello. He added that police were aware that the incident had 'deeply affected the community.' He referred to the video of the shooting circulating online, noting that it only shows one angle and that 'all facts and evidence' should be reviewed. Brad Andres, who says he shot the shooting video that is going viral, told KIFI that he did not believe there was a need to use legal force. "He was having a really bad day with mental issues, but he wasn't chasing anybody, and everybody could easily get out of the reach of his knife. So this wasn't a really dangerous situation," he said. The incident has angered the local community, some of whom joined a protest on Sunday outside the Pocatello Police Department. One of the protesters' homemade placards read, 'Why were your guns drawn?'
