Austin ICE Shooting Sparks Calls for Independent Investigation

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, according to local officials. The man was shot once in the torso and remained in serious but stable condition in hospital. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said local police were not involved in the operation or shooting, although the department’s special investigation unit was at the scene. An immigration attorney representing the man’s family identified him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan. Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch initially said she believed he had no criminal history or final order of removal, though she later acknowledged that she did not know his current immigration status. She also said the family had struggled to obtain information about his condition and location from the hospital. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for the city police department to participate in the investigation, arguing that independent involvement would provide “clear, third-party eyes.” He said ICE should not investigate the shooting alone and expressed hope that the federal agent involved would remain in the city and state. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not attend the city’s news conference and had not responded to requests for information. Approximately 100 protesters gathered at the shooting site amid a large law enforcement presence. Demonstrators criticized officers and ICE, while US Representative Greg Casar called for transparency and urged ICE to end its enforcement surge in Austin. The incident follows a nationwide increase in ICE activity, with the agency recording more than 50,000 arrests per month in July and August. In July, an ICE officer fatally shot a Houston man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, after federal agents pursued him in unmarked vehicles.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man Sunday afternoon in north Austin, Texas, following a traffic stop, according to local officials. The man was shot once in the torso and remained in serious but stable condition in hospital, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Austin police were not involved in either the operation or the shooting, although the department’s special investigation unit attended the scene. Davis said authorities had released few details and did not yet know the injured man’s nationality. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for the city police department to participate in the investigation, arguing that it would provide “clear, third-party eyes” and that ICE should not investigate the shooting alone. Watson also said officials did not know where the federal agent involved was located, but expressed hope the agent would not leave the city or state. The shooting drew a substantial law-enforcement presence and about 100 protesters. Demonstrators criticized ICE and police officers, while passing motorists honked in apparent support. U.S. Rep. Greg Casar called for transparency and said ICE should end its enforcement surge in Austin. The incident occurred amid an unprecedented expansion of ICE enforcement under the Trump administration. The agency recorded more than 50,000 arrests per month in July and August, the first time it had reached that level. The article also cites two other recent shootings involving ICE officers: the fatal shooting of Houston construction worker Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in July and the shooting of Colombian national Johan Sebastián in Maine. The events have intensified scrutiny of federal immigration operations and come after widespread condemnation of the administration’s handling of the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.

A man was seriously wounded in Austin, Texas, after being shot by an officer from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a brief foot pursuit on the city’s north side. Austin officials said the man suffered a gunshot wound to his torso shortly before 1 p.m. local time and was in serious but stable condition. The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear, and officials emphasized that the information available was preliminary. Austin police were not involved in the operation or shooting. An immigration attorney representing the man’s family identified him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan. Attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch said she believed he had no criminal history and no final order for removal, although she later acknowledged that she did not know his current immigration status. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security had not issued statements about the incident at the time of publication. Around 100 protesters gathered near the shooting site to demonstrate against ICE. A damaged blue Toyota Corolla was also present at the scene and was later towed away, although the article does not establish its connection to the shooting. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson criticized what he described as the “rogue” nature of ICE and called for an independent, transparent investigation involving the Austin Police Department. He said ICE operations in Austin had increased significantly and almost overnight. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the department’s Special Investigations Unit had been deployed, while the Texas Rangers were also asked to assist. US Representative Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, likewise demanded transparency and accused ICE of failing to provide truthful accounts of shootings in other cities. He said local officials had warned that the recent ICE surge could result in someone being shot. The incident comes amid a broader immigration enforcement crackdown by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, during a brief foot pursuit shortly before 1pm on Sunday, according to Austin city officials. The man was shot in the torso and transported to a local hospital, where he was reported to be in serious but stable condition. Authorities did not identify the wounded man or the ICE officer involved. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said local police had received few details about the incident and that she had not yet been briefed by federal officials. ICE, the US Department of Homeland Security and the Texas Department of Public Safety had not immediately responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. The shooting prompted protests in Austin. The city’s mayor called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, increasing pressure for greater transparency from federal immigration authorities. The article does not provide details about what led to the foot pursuit, whether the man was suspected of a crime or immigration violation, or why the ICE agent fired. The incident comes amid ongoing public scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement operations and the use of force by immigration officers. However, the available account is limited and relies primarily on statements from Austin officials. Further information, including the identities of those involved, the precise sequence of events and the findings of any investigation, remained unavailable when the report was published.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man during a brief foot pursuit in Austin, Texas, on September 20, according to city officials. The man was shot in the torso shortly before 1 p.m. local time and transported to a hospital, where he was reported to be in serious but stable condition. Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch identified the victim to several news organizations as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, and said she represented his family. She later said Perez was released from the hospital into what appeared to be ICE custody. A law-enforcement source told CNN that Perez is an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, while Lincoln-Goldfinch told the Texas Tribune that he had entered the United States legally. ICE and the US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment. Austin police officials said they did not know the identities of either the victim or the ICE agent involved, and Police Chief Lisa Davis said she had received few details from federal authorities. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for city police and the Texas Rangers to participate in the investigation, arguing that an ICE-only inquiry would lack credibility. Watson said ICE had recently increased detention activity in Austin and expressed anger about the shooting. US Representative Greg Casar likewise linked the incident to the recent federal immigration enforcement surge, saying he and others had warned that someone could be shot. The incident occurred amid broader criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, including concerns about free speech, due process, transparency and the conduct of federal agents. The report notes that federal immigration officials have been involved in several shootings this year, including the deaths of two US citizens in Minnesota. Casar cited those incidents and more than 50 deaths in ICE detention since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025 as reasons for demanding an independent investigation and accurate public information.

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old Venezuelan man, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, in Austin, Texas, during a brief foot pursuit following a traffic stop in northern Austin. Garces Perez was shot once in the torso and was reported to be in serious but stable condition. Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch said his family initially had difficulty obtaining information from the hospital and that his wife was later told he had been released into ICE custody. His current immigration status was not immediately clear. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the incident remained under preliminary investigation and emphasized that Austin police were not involved in the shooting, although local investigators were at the scene. Mayor Kirk Watson criticized the shooting and the recent increase in ICE activity in the city. He argued that Austin police and other local authorities should participate in the investigation instead of leaving it solely to ICE. US Representative Greg Casar called for an independent investigation, the release of all footage, and accountability for any wrongdoing. The Travis County district attorney’s office also requested that local police and prosecutors be allowed to participate and access evidence held by federal authorities. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, had not immediately provided details. About 100 protesters gathered near the shooting site while a large law-enforcement presence remained in the area. A damaged Toyota Corolla with apparent bullet holes was towed away. The incident follows other shootings involving immigration agents, including the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston in July and the shooting of a Colombian man in Maine. The article also places the Austin shooting within broader criticism of the administration’s immigration crackdown following deaths in Minnesota.