Jason Ike Pero, 14

Ashland Bad River Reservation , Wisconsin
November 08, 2017

Agencies: Ashland County Sheriff's Office Wisconsin

Cause of death: Shooting

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Overview

Family members of a 14-year-old boy fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy on a northern Wisconsin reservation questioned on Thursday why the teen, who they describe as loving and kind, was gunned down.

Holly Gauthier said authorities have provided few details about the death of her son, 14-year-old Jason Pero, an 8th grader who died on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation Wednesday.

Dispatchers received a call about a male subject walking down the street armed with a knife about 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, said the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, which provides law enforcement services on the reservation along with the tribal police department. A responding deputy fired shots, striking the male. He was treated at the scene but died at a hospital.

Legal Action

A special prosecutor announced Friday, January 19, 2017 that charges would not be filed against the Ashland County deputy involved in the shooting of a 14-year-old boy on the Bad River Reservation last November.

On March 19, 2018, the Pero family filed a claim with Ashland County asserting that an Ashland County Sheriff’s Deputy used excessive force that resulted in the wrongful death of 14-year-old Jason Ike Pero last November.

Community and Family Efforts

#NativeLivesMatter

November 2017 Honoring Jason Pero

The Bad River tribe has called for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into what its leaders call police misconduct and excessive force. In a press release, the tribe said that Pero was not a threat and "was known in the community as a kind and gentle person with a great sense of humor" and was a "sweet and non-violent boy."