“It’s My Biggest Regret”: Mayor Blad admits to lack of response to Perez Shooting ahead of Mayoral Election

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Just days before the City Mayoral election, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad has reignited debate over his handling of the fatal, officer-involved shooting of disabled teenager Victor Perez earlier this year.

Mayor Blad posted the video at 7 PM on Saturday, a time when most city offices are closed. In the video, Blad reflects on the amount of time he took to respond to the public on the shooting, acknowledging his delayed response to the community.

To watch the full response by Mayor Blad, click HERE.

Timing and Shooting Background

The shooting took place on Saturday, April 5th, 2025. Police responded to a neighbor's 911 call after 17-year-old Victor Perez, who was disabled and non-verbal, got hold of a large kitchen knife and began swinging it at family members. Body camera footage reviewed by investigators and video captured on social media show that within seconds of arriving behind a fence, the four officers shot Perez 12 times as he stumbled toward them.

RELATED: Victor Perez Shooting Timeline

In September, five months after the shooting, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office cleared the four officers involved.

RELATED: Officers in Victor Perez Shooting will not face criminal charges

A mixed bag of backlash and Support

Controversy and criticism have followed Mayor Blad and the Pocatello Police Department since the shooting. Blad's initial public statement came in the form of a pre-recorded video released on April 10th, five days after the shooting, and less than 24 hours before doctors at Portneuf Medical Center declared Perez brain dead.

In the recent video, Blad directly addressed this initial silence: "I have a community that needed their leader. They needed the mayor to be there and I didn't...I wasn't in front of the camera," he stated. He attributed the delay to seeking information, adding, "I was listening to people of what I needed to make sure we had answers, and there were no answers. It's a tragedy for the Perez family."

The timing of the video—released on a weekend, just before the election—drew immediate and pointed online backlash. Many commenters condemned Blad for waiting months to address his personal response, arguing the timing was purely election-driven and performative.

In contrast, some supporters praised the Mayor's willingness to show vulnerability and acknowledge his perceived shortcomings.

Local News 8 has reached out to Mayor Blad and the candidates for Pocatello Mayor for comment on the video and is awaiting their response.

Candidates' response

Multiple Pocatello mayoral candidates said an initial response from the mayor was long overdue when asked about how the city handled the shooting.

"The mayor's absence for five days was unacceptable. He should have been out that night first thing the next morning, just even acknowledging that a tragedy occurred and that is being investigated," Mayoral candidate Greg Cates said.

"A response took too long. With a tragic tragedy that took place in that level the public really needed to be addressed quickly, and there was really a long period. It took several days for our leadership to go out and make a statement and you know, what I would have done first and foremost is I would have been out there quickly reassuring the public that if there's problems, if there's training issues that we need to fix, I would have just been out there," Mayoral candidate Mark Dahlquist said.

The candidates also scrutinized the city's management of the case.

"I feel as if the state did everything they could, legal wise, to handle that. Although I do disagree with their findings," Mayoral candidate Nate Kissel said, "You shouldn't be afraid to call 911."

"I don't know why someone at the city couldn't just say that [it] was wrong. We have to decide if that's the kind of policing we want in our city," Mayoral candidate Alana Leonhardy said.

One candidate, Idaho-Law Carta Sierra Idaho-Lorax, criticized the police force.

"There's people wanting to do a public initiative. Basically deal with the issue of police force here. It's it's changed. It used to be more selective on who they had. And you know, they get rid of some people or just shouldn't have been police officers," Sierra Idaho-Lorax said.