Prior Encounters, Known Disabilities: Perez family attorney says Pocatello Police mishandled fatal shooting
Linda Larsen
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Victor Perez was shot nine times by Pocatello police officers on April 5 just seconds after arriving on scene. He later died from those injuries. Lawyers representing his family are argue the fatal shooting of the disabled teen by Pocatello Police was a preventable tragedy, saying the officers were aware of the 17-year-old’s autism diagnosis, significant mental health struggles and physical disabilities.
The new development comes after a Local News 8 investigation broke the news that Pocatello Police had previously interacted with Victor Perez on two separate occasions before the April 5th shooting that led to his death.
According to Attorney James Cook, the situation demanded a different police response — one that strategically leveraged time, distance, and communication to de-escalate the incident.
“Not a lot of time passed between when the officers showed up and Victor Perez was shot and ultimately fatally. So that’s one thing,” said Cook. “Two, Distance: if I look at it, the police officers were on one side of the fence, and Victor Perez was on the other side. Detractors will say he was holding a knife, but realistically, he was quite a ways away from the officers. So, you know, there were opportunities, I would say, to create distance.”
The first recorded interaction between officers and the Perez family occurred on Dec. 2 of 2024. According to the report filed by Officer T. Anderson, the police were called to the Perez home after Victor had pinned his mother to the ground by her hair. Officers were able to de-escalate the situation, convincing Victor to release his mother; she did not press charges.
Then, on Feb. 25 of this year, less than two months before the shooting, police were called to the home once again. This time, Victor’s grandfather Luis Armando Alicia told Officer Forburger of the Pocatello Police Department that the family was struggling to control the teen.
Officer Forburger observed that Victor appeared to be nonverbal, autistic, and according to the family, he’d been acting out in school.
Cook says both incidents show clear signs of mental health issues.
“We believe that the police had noticed that Victor Perez was suffering from, you know, having a mental health crisis,” Cook said. “We say that because, in one of the documents, they actually identify him as an autistic juvenile.”
Pocatello Police are not commenting on the case because of the ongoing investigation.
Attorneys for Perez have set up a conference in Fort Hall on June 27 and 28, where people can voice their concerns and comments about this or other interactions with the police departments throughout the state. For more information, click HERE.