Nov 11, 2017 - 14-year old Native Boy Killed by Police

Milwaukee, WI – On November 8th, 14 year old Jason Pero of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy on the reservation.

According to the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received a call about a male walking down the street “armed” with a knife at 11:40 AM. A responding deputy fired shots, striking Pero, who was pronounced dead at the hospital. Pero was shot twice, once in the heart and once in the shoulder.

The family describes Pero as a, “big teddy bear”.   The Sheriff’s department stated that its Division of Criminal Investigation would collect information on the shooting and release its findings in the next 30-days.  Pero was in the 8th grade.

The following statements by Tribal governments were posted to Indianz.com

“On behalf of the Red Cliff Tribal Council and our entire community, I extend our prayers and condolences to all of Jason’s family, and also to all our brothers and sisters of the Bad River Community,” Peterson said. “It is with great sorrow and concern that such a young life was lost under these circumstances. We stand by each and every one of you and offer our assistance and support in any way we can. As the days go on, there will be many emotions and much grieving. We ask that as these difficult days pass, we do all we can to support each other.”  ~Red Cliff Tribal council

“We take this opportunity to state that we support our law enforcement, but we do not condone poor judgment and the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers,” the tribe said on Thursday. “All law enforcement officers should be highly trained and possess other non-lethal weapons so that these deadly events can be avoided.”~Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe

“Lac Vieux Desert supports local law enforcement and the job that they do in protecting the public, but that duty comes with great responsibility and the taking of a life in the line of duty must be done so as a last resort,” the tribe said. “As governments, tribal, state and federal alike, we must support law enforcement and our communities by providing the proper level of funding to train officers to the greatest degree available and to provide them the necessary tools, such as non-lethal weapons, to ensure that we provide as many opportunities to avoid the tragic loss of life that too often happens today.”~Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians