Autistic Teen Shot by Idaho Police Pronounced Clinically Brain Dead as Family Calls for Justice

The autistic teenage boy who was shot nine times by Idaho police has been pronounced clinically brain dead as his family calls for justice.

The 17-year-old boy was identified as Victor Perez, and his family revealed that they had decided to take him off of life support on Saturday. The victim's aunt, Ana Vasquez, said, "They killed one member of my family." She said that the police who were involved should not be in uniform as they are meant to protect people, not kill them.

Autistic Teen Shot by Police Pronounced Clinically Brain Dead

Vasquez also criticized the officers for only being placed on administrative leave after the shooting, which occurred on Apr. 5, 2025. She noted that her nephew is dying while the police who shot him are at home spending time with their families.

Perez's family claims that the teen, who is non-verbal and did not understand English, was not able to comprehend police commands shortly before they opened fire. A video of the incident spread online and has raised a variety of concerns, including those about police training, use of force protocols, and awareness of developmental disabilities, according to KTVB.

The shooting happened after police officers responded to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance and found Perez seemingly trying to stab family members in a backyard and was supposedly intoxicated.

However, the victim's family firmly denied these allegations and said that the entire situation was a misunderstanding and was escalated unnecessarily. Perez's grandfather, Luis Alicea, said they were preparing for a barbeque when his nephew approached him with a knife.

A Tragic Development

Vasquez added that law enforcement personnel who arrived at the scene barely spoke to anyone about the situation to learn more. She said they simply told them to get back and shortly shot to kill, CBS News reported.

On the other hand, the Pocatello Police Department defended its officers' actions in a video statement, saying they wanted to clarify the situation. They argued that video footage of the incident only showed one angle and did not paint the full picture of what was going on.

Vazquez said that the neighbor who called 911 wanted police officers to help Perez's family get the situation under control. She said that the caller did not know about the teenager's medical condition or that he was having a mental health crisis.

Following the spread of the video of the incident, protests sparked across the city, which is home to about 56,300 people. Mayor Brian Blad said that they are now looking into the matter and are conducting an official investigation, as per NBC News.