ICE officer shoots, wounds man in Austin; protesters demand probe
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday during a brief foot pursuit, local officials said, as the incident drew protests and calls for an independent investigation.
The man, identified by immigration attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch as 28-year-old Venezuelan Wilber Rafael Garces Perez , was shot once in the torso and remained in serious but stable condition at a hospital, officials said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the shooting happened after a traffic stop in northern Austin. She cautioned that information about the incident was still preliminary. Austin police were not involved in the shooting, although local investigators were at the scene.
Mayor Kirk Watson said he was “very angry and extremely disappointed” that a person had been shot by ICE in Austin, adding that the city had seen a “significant increase, almost overnight” in ICE operations.
Watson said he wanted Austin police and other local authorities involved in the investigation rather than leaving it solely to ICE.
“I will say, frankly, from my perspective, the credibility of ICE doing some form of investigation just by itself and excluding others would not be appropriate,” Watson said.
US Rep Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin, had called for an independent investigation shortly after the shooting was reported. He later sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security seeking an immediate, independent probe, the release of all footage from the shooting and accountability for any wrongdoing by the agent involved.
“The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning,” Casar wrote on X, adding that he wanted “truth, transparency and accountability.”
The Travis County district attorney's office also asked for local police and prosecutors to participate in the investigation and requested access to evidence held by federal authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately provide details about the shooting.
Goldfinch said she believed Garces Perez had no criminal history or final order of removal, although she later said she did not know his current immigration status.
The attorney said Garces Perez's family initially struggled to obtain information from the hospital. His wife was later informed that he had been released into ICE custody several hours after the shooting. It was not immediately clear whether he remained at the hospital or had been transferred elsewhere.
About 100 protesters gathered near the shooting site as a large law enforcement presence remained in the area. A dark blue Toyota Corolla with damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes was later towed away.
The Austin incident follows other shootings involving immigration agents. In July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston after federal agents pursued him in unmarked vehicles.
Another ICE officer shot 25-year-old Colombian man Johan Sebastián in Maine in July. The administration's immigration crackdown has also faced widespread criticism following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
The man, identified by immigration attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch as 28-year-old Venezuelan Wilber Rafael Garces Perez , was shot once in the torso and remained in serious but stable condition at a hospital, officials said.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the shooting happened after a traffic stop in northern Austin. She cautioned that information about the incident was still preliminary. Austin police were not involved in the shooting, although local investigators were at the scene.
Mayor Kirk Watson said he was “very angry and extremely disappointed” that a person had been shot by ICE in Austin, adding that the city had seen a “significant increase, almost overnight” in ICE operations.
Watson said he wanted Austin police and other local authorities involved in the investigation rather than leaving it solely to ICE.
“I will say, frankly, from my perspective, the credibility of ICE doing some form of investigation just by itself and excluding others would not be appropriate,” Watson said.
US Rep Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin, had called for an independent investigation shortly after the shooting was reported. He later sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security seeking an immediate, independent probe, the release of all footage from the shooting and accountability for any wrongdoing by the agent involved.
“The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning,” Casar wrote on X, adding that he wanted “truth, transparency and accountability.”
The Travis County district attorney's office also asked for local police and prosecutors to participate in the investigation and requested access to evidence held by federal authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately provide details about the shooting.
Goldfinch said she believed Garces Perez had no criminal history or final order of removal, although she later said she did not know his current immigration status.
The attorney said Garces Perez's family initially struggled to obtain information from the hospital. His wife was later informed that he had been released into ICE custody several hours after the shooting. It was not immediately clear whether he remained at the hospital or had been transferred elsewhere.
About 100 protesters gathered near the shooting site as a large law enforcement presence remained in the area. A dark blue Toyota Corolla with damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes was later towed away.
The Austin incident follows other shootings involving immigration agents. In July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston after federal agents pursued him in unmarked vehicles.
Another ICE officer shot 25-year-old Colombian man Johan Sebastián in Maine in July. The administration's immigration crackdown has also faced widespread criticism following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
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