The Victor Perez Case

Seeking Accountability in a Police Shooting

What Happened

The incident occurred on April 5, 2025, at approximately 5:30 p.m., in Pocatello, Idaho.

Victor Perez was a seventeen-year-old, non-verbal autistic child who also suffered from cerebral palsy. Pocatello police officers were dispatched to the residence for a reported possible domestic disturbance. Four officers arrived on scene.

Within moments of arriving, the officers discharged their weapons and shot Victor Perez nine times.

No de-escalation methods were attempted.

At the time of the shooting, Victor Perez was holding a knife. However, he was located behind a chain-link fence and posed no immediate threat to the officers that would justify the level of force used.

Victor Perez suffered catastrophic injuries. After multiple surgeries, he was declared brain dead. He endured conscious pain and suffering before his death and was later taken off life support.

Members of Victor Perez’s family were present and witnessed the incident. They suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the officers’ conduct and the death of their loved one.

The lawsuit alleges that the Pocatello Police Department used excessive force and was deliberately indifferent to Victor Perez’s constitutional rights in the events leading up to and including the shooting.

Why This Case Matters

Police officers are entrusted with extraordinary authority, including the authority to use deadly force. That authority carries an equally extraordinary responsibility to act reasonably, carefully, and within the bounds of the Constitution, especially when responding to individuals experiencing disability or mental health crises.

This case matters not only to Victor Perez’s family, but to the Pocatello community as a whole. It raises fundamental questions about how law enforcement responds to vulnerable individuals, how quickly situations are escalated to lethal force, and whether constitutional safeguards are being meaningfully honored in our community.

Cases like this test whether constitutional rights are real in practice, or only in theory. They also test whether our systems of accountability work when the consequences of official action are irreversible.

Victor Perez’s family is seeking answers, transparency, and accountability, not only for Victor, but to help ensure that similar tragedies do not happen again in Pocatello or elsewhere.

Our Role

Jennifer Call and Snake River Criminal Defense, PLLC, are part of the legal team representing the Perez family in federal civil rights litigation.

This case is being litigated in collaboration with Burris, Nisenbaum, Curry & Lacy, LLP, a nationally recognized civil rights law firm with decades of experience in complex police misconduct and constitutional cases across the country.

By combining local knowledge with deep national civil rights experience, the legal team is working to ensure that the facts are fully developed, the evidence is carefully examined, and the case is presented with the seriousness and rigor it demands.

This collaboration is intended to provide Victor Perez’s family with a thorough, professional pursuit of answers, transparency, and accountability through the judicial process.

What the Lawsuit Is About

The lawsuit alleges that the Pocatello Police Department officers involved used excessive and unconstitutional deadly force against Victor Perez, and that his death was preventable.

It further alleges that the officers and the City of Pocatello failed to reasonably accommodate Victor Perez’s known disabilities, failed to de-escalate the situation, and acted with deliberate indifference to his constitutional rights in the moments leading up to and during the shooting.

The lawsuit also alleges that the officers’ actions placed Victor Perez’s family members in danger and subjected them to severe emotional trauma, as they were present and witnessed the shooting and its aftermath.

At a high level, the case asserts that:

  • The use of deadly force violated the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable seizures

  • The officers’ conduct violated Fourteenth Amendment protections, including Victor Perez’s right to life and his family’s right to familial association

  • The City and its officers failed to reasonably accommodate Victor Perez’s disabilities, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act

  • The City of Pocatello bears responsibility for policies, training failures, and practices that led to this outcome

  • The officers’ conduct constituted negligence, wrongful death, and related state-law violations

  • The officers’ actions also endangered and traumatized Victor Perez’s family members, who were present and forced to witness the incident

The lawsuit seeks accountability for what happened to Victor Perez, full transparency about the decisions and actions that led to his death, and justice for his family.

Remembering Victor

At the center of this case is not a legal theory or a court filing, but a human being.

Victor Perez was a seventeen-year-old son, a grandson, brother, nephew, and family member. He lived with significant disabilities, and he depended on the people around him for care, protection, and understanding.

His life mattered.

This case exists because his family deserves honest answers about what happened, and because the justice system must be willing to carefully examine the use of deadly force.

Legal Notice
This page discusses allegations made in pending civil litigation. A complaint contains allegations, not findings, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise in court. The defendants are entitled to contest these claims through the judicial process. This page is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to present findings of fact or legal conclusions.