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.
As a guy who enjoys guns(though chill with them being banned for obvious reasons) I can happily say that if this counts as a situation with enough stress to really psyke them out(a kid 5ft away behind a fence? Really?) then they’re still dogshit at using the only tool they every seem to reach for. Cops routinely prove to be awful drivers and terrible shots yet they will go for daytime high-speed chases and shootouts in crowded areas far too often. Fuck ‘em, they should be made fun of for this.
Also if that loses credibility, if that’s enough to make a gun nut switch sides, then they were already looking for an excuse and never cared about the human component to begin with.