‘Now in heaven with the angels’: Pocatello remembers Victor Perez at funeral

POCATELLO — An intimate funeral service for Victor Perez was held at Cornelison Funeral Chapel in Pocatello on Tuesday afternoon. The public had been invited to attend and about 100 people were there.

Perez, 17, who had cerebral palsy and a mental handicap, was taken off life support on April 12 after being declared clinically brain-dead following a police shooting on April 5. Perez was shot multiple times by Pocatello Police officers on the 700 block of North Harrison Avenue in Pocatello after reports that an intoxicated man was wielding a knife in a yard near two people.

There was no police presence at the funeral. Attendees were invited to share memories and thoughts of Perez and asked not to express messages of anger or protest of any kind at the service.

Family members described Perez as a loving son, grandson, brother, nephew, and student “now in heaven with the angels.”

Local teachers of Perez remembered him fondly as a young man who loved to play kickball and hated American food.

As cars filed out of the parking lot, many with painted signs saying “Justice for Victor,” funeral attendees were urged to continue to “stand up for Victor and be a voice for him to help make the world a better place.”

The following are photos from the funeral: