Linda Larsen
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Victor Perez, the 17-year-old disabled teen shot by Pocatello Police, has been declared clinically brain dead, according to the autistic teen’s family. The Perez family has now reached the difficult decision to take Victor Perez off life support tomorrow morning in response to the diagnosis.
In the hours following the announcement, the father and son who made the 911 call leading to the incident have expressed their grief and heartfelt apology to the victim’s family.
On most days, you can find father and son Brad and Bridger Andreas working together in the auto repair shop. On Saturday, they were doing just that. They had the garage door open, enjoying a nice spring day, when they noticed a disturbance in a neighbor’s backyard behind the shop.
“It was getting out of hand, and it didn’t look like they were able to get things under control,” said Bridger Andres.
The Perez family had been enjoying an afternoon barbeque that day when Victor got a hold of a large kitchen knife. Victor has been diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy, and according to the family, the teen was prone to behavioral outbursts.
The family says Victor had a similar outburst during their family barbecue, as the teen took a kitchen knife and threatened family members. They repeatedly tried to get the knife away from him. Because of his inability to walk, he was mostly lying on the ground.
Seeing the Perez family struggle to get the knife from Victor, Brad Andres began to call the police.
“My intent when I made that 911 call is ,’I see somebody across the street with a knife. I don’t want anybody to get hurt,” said Bridger. “I wanted police to show up, talk to the man, and de-escalate. They did the exact opposite of that.”
Within seconds of the officers’ arrival, the situation escalated to a tragic conclusion. Victor Perez was shot nine times and had to be revived on the scene.
911 caller faces online death threats
“I definitely do feel a sense of responsibility,” Bridger told Local News 8. “Here’s how I look at it. If I didn’t make the 911 call, none of this would happen.”
The public outcry against the way the police handled the scene has been intense, with some people striking back at Brad and Bridger for calling the police. Even more disturbing, Bridger has received multiple death threats via social media, accusing him of being responsible for Victor’s injuries.
“I have people from all over the country saying, I’m going to come and go do your work, and I’m going to hurt you,” said Bridger. “I’m going to come and jump you. I’m going to make you learn.”
Shared grief between neighbors
Riddled with guilt about what happened, the father and son say they wanted to talk to the family.
“Like I said, I feel the guilt of it,” said Bridger Andres. “And going over there is like, hey, yeah, I made the call that now put your son into this situation. And I’m sorry.”
It was during Local News 8’s interview with Victor’s aunt Ana Vazquez regarding the 17-year-old’s condition that Brad and Bridger approached the family fo the first time and apologized for what had happened.
In a short conversation, the father and son quietly embraced the grieving aunt and asked if she was doing okay. And when Vazquez answered in an inevitable and resounding ‘no,’ the pair supported her in her grief.
“I believed terrible things when I made that call,” Brad Andres told Vazquez. “I believed they were trained. I believe somebody talked to all those officers and told them how to deal with this. And I’m so sorry.”
According to Pocatello Police, their officers believed that Victor was intoxicated and dangerous as they approached the family’s home, partially due to the initial 911 call.
In his short talk with Vazquez, Brad Andres apologized profusely for his part.
“I know Victor was not drunk. In my life experience, I look at someone acting that way, and that’s what I thought I could have been, and I’m sorry for accusing that,” said Andres.
In response, Vazquez told the pair the call wasn’t the problem.
“The problem is that the police acted based on the call,” Vazquez told Andres. “How can you react based on the call? …I have family that works in police as a federal, as a correctional, as a state police, and all of them, as soon as they come to a place, they ask, what is this situation? And they (the Pocatello Officers) didn’t.”
“It was all there. It was all obvious,” agreed Brad Andres.
“Well, the police looked like they don’t care. They don’t care,” said Vazquez with finality.
Nothing can change what happened, but the hope is to take steps to ensure that it never happens again.
Pocatello Mayor responds to Perez health update
As word broke of Victor’s condition, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad sent out the following statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time. We recognize the pain and grief this incident has caused in our community,” said Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad.
Mayor Blad has faced increased online criticism in the days following the officer-involved shooting, which left a non-verbal 17-year-old with autism and cerebral palsy, Victor Perez, in critical condition. Blad only recently addressed the incident in a recorded statement released the Thursday following the shooting.
However, Blad has confirmed that the four officers involved in the incident were immediately placed on administrative leave following the incident. He says the city will release the police body camera footage in the coming weeks.
For more details on Mayor Blad’s response, click HERE.
Vigil moved up as the community grieves with Perez family
For members of the community who wish to attend, the time of the candlelight vigil supporting the Perez family has been changed.
The vigil will now be held at 9 AM, Saturday, April 12. Victor will then be taken off life support after the vigil is finished.
Photo courtesy Google Maps