Pocatello police sued by family. Attorney calls teen’s killing ‘unjustified’
Eight blocks away from where it happened, the grandfather of a boy who died after being shot multiple times by police officers spoke publicly for the first time.
Victor Perez’s grandfather and guardian, Luis Alicea, made his comments in Spanish and had them interpreted at a Thursday evening news conference following the official filing of a civil complaint. This marks the beginning of a federal lawsuit against the Pocatello Police Department, which is accused of violating Perez’s civil rights.
“What he would like to see is that justice be done as soon as possible, because this is about a human being who was killed in his own home, in their home. He was not an animal, and justice needs to be served,” Alicea said via the interpreter.
The city of Pocatello has denied commenting on Victor Perez’s death due to the ongoing litigation and investigation. The Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force is investigating the incident and will turn its findings over to Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador for review.
There will be a “Truth and Reconciliation Conference” on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Little Wood Room in the Idaho State University Pond Student Union Building. This conference will allow people to “voice concerns regarding the Victor Perez shooting, as well as any other community-related issues. Another goal of the conference is to match attorneys with citizens and reservation members who need representation,” said a press release from Burris, Nisenbaum, Curry & Lacy (BNCL), the firm representing Perez and his family.
Pocatello teen was shot nine times by officers
On April 5, four Pocatello Police Department officers discharged their weapons at Victor Perez as he stood up and moved towards them while holding a knife in his backyard. The officers, who were separated from Perez by a fence, struck him with at least nine bullets, while one fired a beanbag round from a shotgun.
Video footage taken by a neighbor showed that the officers opened fire within 30 seconds of arriving at the scene.
Perez, 17, had autism and cerebral palsy. He died a week after the shooting, after multiple surgeries and having one leg amputated.
The interpreter said Alicea “doesn’t have words to express the trauma, the shock. This is a member of their family. His grandson was killed in front of the door to his own home, in front of the family.”
John Burris, a civil rights attorney who has represented clients like Rodney King and Tupac Shakur, attended the conference via Zoom and said Perez’s rights were violated that day in early April.
“He was shot and killed by four Pocatello police officers under circumstances that were clearly unjustified and uncalled for, and clearly demonstrated the use of excessive force,” Burris said.
Jennifer Call, a practicing attorney in Pocatello, said she would be BNCL’s local counsel in the case, and explained why she let the firm know she was available.
“I’m born and raised here in Pocatello, this isn’t chasing money, this is about getting justice for Victor Perez and the family and our entire community. It was shocking what happened, and it shocked my conscience, and that’s why I stood up,” Call said.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 1:43 PM.