Idaho police officers opened fire from behind a chain-link fence just seconds after exiting their patrol cars and critically wounded a teenage boy — described by his family as nonverbal, autistic and intellectually disabled — as he stepped toward them with a knife, video from a witness shows.
Seventeen-year-old Victor Perez, 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. Doctors were planning tests on his brain activity.
The shooting Saturday in Pocatello outraged the boy’s family and neighbors as well as viewers online who questioned why the officers opened fire within about 12 seconds of exiting their patrol cars while making no apparent effort to de-escalate the situation or use less lethal weapons. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the police department Sunday, eastidahonews.com reported.
In a situation where you’re using lethal force (e.g. a gun.) you aren’t doing the minimum or doing disabling shots or sharpshooting the knife out of their hand, you are stopping the threat. This means center mass (torso) shots to minimize the chance that you miss and hit someone behind or near them (Like the two people were near the kid.), and you shoot until they stop being a threat. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug (and whatever other potential drugs folks can be on.) and can let folks shrug off a bullet if it isn’t instantly killing them, hence the training on lethal force is shoot until they stop being a threat.
That said: Given that he hadn’t even cleared the fence they had time to back up. IMO this was a preventable shooting and they likely could have had one officer pepper spray or tase him (Both have about 15 foot range.) while the others kept guns on him.
Shooting culture.