Autistic teen fighting for life after being shot nine times by police

An autistic teenager has been left fighting for his life after being shot nine times by Idaho police, sparking protests. Cops had responded to a call about a physical disturbance at the unnamed 17-year-old's family home in Pocatello on Saturday when multiple shots were fired, police said in a statement. Officers were responding to reports of two males, one of which was in possession of a knife, and a female involved in a physical altercation. Eyewitness footage shows the boy rolling on the ground and waving what police said was a knife at a woman believed to be his mother. Police officers are seen running up to the fence and quickly pointing their weapons while telling the teen to get on the ground. But when the teen stands up, the video shows police rapidly firing at him. Police said in a statement on Sunday: 'At approximately 5:22 PM, officers responded to a residence located in the 700 block of N. Harrison in reference to a reported physical disturbance involving two male subjects and a female. It was reported that one of the male subjects was intoxicated and in possession of a knife. 'Officers arrived on scene at 5:25 PM. During the encounter, officers were involved in a shooting with the male subject who was armed with a knife. Immediate life-saving measures were initiated by officers on the suspect, who was subsequently transported by ambulance Portneuf Medical Center by the Pocatello Fire Department.'

An autistic teenager has been left fighting for his life after being shot dead nine times by Idaho police

The teen's family told Local News 8 that he was in critical condition and had to have his leg amputated because of his injuries. Neighbours explained that they had called police hoping that they could de-escalate the situation. The shooting has sparked local outrage, with dozens of neighbours gathering outside the Pocatello Police Department to protest the shooting. Some have been seen holding banners with the slogan: 'Why were your guns drawn?'. A woman, identified as the teen's aunt, told the station the teen was not going after the police, explaining that 'he has [an] impairment' and 'can barely walk'. Brad Andres, who witnessed the shooting, told Local News 8 how 'it wasn't a really dangerous situation'. 'He was having a really bad day with mental issues, but he wasn't chasing anybody, and everybody could easily get out of the reach of his knife'. Dylan Harrison, who joined the protest, told the local news outlet that the shooting 'highlights a much larger systemic issue that police respond with unnecessary force when they do not need to when the public needs help and support'. The East Idaho Critical Incident Task Force will carry out an investigation into the incident.