Victor Perez, 17, who also had cerebral palsy, had been in a coma since the April 5 shooting, and tests Friday showed that he had no brain activity, his aunt, Ana Vazquez, told The Associated Press. He had undergone several surgeries, with doctors removing nine bullets and amputating his leg.
The shooting outraged Perez’s family and Pocatello residents, and about 200 people attended a vigil Saturday morning outside the Pocatello hospital where he was treated. Another crowd of protesters gathered outside the Pocatello City Hall building, which also houses the police department, on Saturday afternoon. Police snipers were stationed on a nearby rooftop during the protest, though no violence was reported. Many of the protesters held signs with phrases like, “Do better, PPD” and “Justice for Victor,” and passing cars honked in acknowledgment.
So you acknowledge that the RCMP abuse some people, but you still try to defend them?
No, I acknowledge no system is perfect and some of them are assigned specifically to places where natives commonly live by a bunch of suits in Ottawa. Here, it’s a political issue, not a policing issue. That doesn’t excuse anything, abusive RCMP officers are scum as you say, but that doesn’t mean that cops are universally or inherently evil.