The Wisconsin Department of Justice released the initial findings of its investigation into the fatal police shooting of 14-year-old Jason Pero of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe, which occurred Nov. 8.
The Wisconsin DOJ claims that Jason called 911 at approximately 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning and described himself to the dispatcher. The Wisconsin DOJ further claims that when deputies responded, Jason ignored calls to drop a “large butcher knife” and repeatedly lunged at the officers, causing Dep. Brock Mrdjenovich to fire his weapon at approximately 11:48 a.m., killing the child.
Mrdjenovich has been with the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department for one year.
According to the Wis. DOJ, they found evidence that Jason had been “despondent” for several days before he apparently initiated his suicide by cop. As The Root previously reported, Jason had been sick several days with the flu, according to his family.
Because we here at The Root know how this goes, I have submitted an open records request for all video—including dashcam footage—and 911 audio related to Jason’s killing.
We will update this story when, and if, the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department responds.
Read the state DOJ’s findings below:
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), at the request of the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, has been investigating an officer involved death (OID) that took place on November 8, 2017 in Odanah, Wis., which is located on the Bad River Reservation.
The Ashland County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a male subject walking on Maple Street carrying a knife. Ashland County Sheriff’s Deputy Brock Mrdjenovich responded to the scene and encountered a 5’9”, 300 pound male subject who fit the description given by the 911 caller. The subject was later identified as 14-year-old Jason Ike Pero. Pero approached Deputy Mrdjenovich with a large butcher knife and he refused numerous commands to drop the weapon. On two occasions, Pero lunged at the deputy while the deputy was attempting to retreat. Deputy Mrdjenovich fired his service weapon at Pero, striking him twice. Life-saving measures were initiated however, Pero was pronounced dead at Memorial Medical Center in Ashland. DCI has determined Jason Pero was the same person that called 911 reporting a man with a knife, giving his own physical description. Initial information indicates that Pero had been despondent over the few days leading up to the incident and evidence from a search warrant executed on Pero’s bedroom supports that information.
Deputy Mrdjenovich has been interviewed by DOJ and is on paid administrative leave in accordance with Ashland County Sheriff’s Office’s policy. Deputy Mrdjenovich has worked for the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office for approximately one year.
The family members of Jason Pero have been offered victim witness services by the DOJ Office of Crime Victim Services.
His grandparents, Alan and Cheryl Pero, with whom Jason has lived with since he was 1 year old, said the child had the flu.
At approximately 11:00 a.m., Ashland County sheriff’s department allegedly received a 911 call that a man holding a knife was walking around East Maple Street in Odanah, the cultural center of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians Reservation.
At 11:48 a.m., Pero, an 8th-grader at Ashland Middle School, was fatally shot twice, once in the heart and once in the right shoulder.
Police, of course, claim that a knife was recovered at the scene. Witnesses on the reservation, however, say that Jason was holding a cell phone.
For full story visit: http://www.theroot.com/justiceforjason-14-year-old-indigenous-boy-gunned-dow-1820360279