An ICE agent in Austin, Texas, shot a 29-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, on Sunday during what appears to have been a traffic stop and foot chase, leaving him seriously wounded with a gunshot wound to his torso. The incident sparked protests under an overpass where bullet-ridden car debris was found, leading to clashes between protesters and police who used pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Democratic Congressman Greg Casar called for an independent investigation into the shooting, demanding immediate release of body-camera footage.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 20, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, during what appears to have been a brief foot pursuit. The victim was taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition after being shot once in the torso. Police Chief Lisa Davis said that local police were not involved, and ICE is handling the investigation, though Mayor Kirk Watson wants city police to be part of it for transparency. Rights advocates are calling for an independent probe into this incident, which comes amid growing scrutiny of ICE operations under the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Written for “ICE Agent Shoots Wounds ManAustin” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 62 other(s) covering the same event.
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An ICE agent shot and seriously wounded a man in Austin on Sunday - triggering a standoff, clashes with police and demands from a Democratic congressman for an independent investigation.
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agent → see → investigation
The dramatic confrontation unfolded beneath an overpass in north Austin after the federal immigration agent became involved in a traffic stop and brief foot pursuit, according to preliminary accounts from local officials.
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agent → unfold → officials
The man, identified by his attorney as 29-year-old Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his torso and was reported to be in serious but stable condition.
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man → identify → condition
Photos taken exclusively by the Daily Mail show a small blue Toyota sedan with bullet holes riddling the passenger-side door, surrounded by police tape beneath the highway overpass.
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holes → take → overpass
Witnesses told local NPR affiliate KUT that they heard gunshots and one witness encountered an ICE agent alongside a man who appeared to have been shot in the back.
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who → tell → back
That account has not been independently established by authorities, who have said the investigation is still in its early stages.
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investigation → establish → stages
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear.
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circumstances → surround → shooting
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said that the incident may have involved a foot pursuit, but stressed that authorities had only limited information and that the investigation was continuing.
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investigation → say → information
Austin police were not involved in the shooting itself.
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police → involve → shooting
Police in Austin were locked in a standoff on Sunday evening with a squad of rock-hurling protesters, enraged after a Venezuelan man Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot - allegedly in the back - by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers
Photos exclusively taken by the Daily Mail show the small blue Toyota sedan the man had been traveling in when chased by ICE with bullet holes riddling the passenger door
Onlookers told the Daily Mail that the man - who is understood to be a Venezuelan illegal immigrant - took off on foot after his car rolled to a halt and was subsequently shot
Onlookers told the Daily Mail that the man took off on foot after his car rolled to a halt and was subsequently shot.
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car → lock → halt
The shooting rapidly became the focus of anger in the Texas capital.
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shooting → become → capital
As the evening drew in, a crowd of protesters - many waving Mexican flags - gathered on one side of the overpass, screaming ‘F*** ICE’ and demanding to know if the ICE agent in question had been arrested.
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agent → draw → question
Many also started hurling rocks and water bottles at a squad of riot police sent in by the Austin Police Department, with cops firing pepper balls at the protesters in response.
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cops → start → response
Local reporting said officers later used chemical agents to disperse the crowd.
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officers → say → crowd
The confrontation came as questions mounted over what exactly happened during the federal operation - and why the man was shot.
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man → come → operation
Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, who represents Austin, demanded an independent investigation and called for the immediate release of body-camera footage.
'As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law,' Casar said in a statement reported by CBS News.
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Casar → represent → News
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson also called for local police to have a role in the investigation, saying he wanted a third-party examination of the incident rather than having ICE investigate itself.
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ICE → call → itself
Watson said Perez was in serious but stable condition.
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Perez → say → condition
The incident has already drawn comparisons with other recent shootings involving federal immigration agents, including the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston in July.
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incident → draw → July
That case remains under investigation.
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case → remain → investigation
This is a disturbing pattern,' said Casar.
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Casar → say → ?
Federal authorities had not released a full account of the encounter as of Sunday evening.
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authorities → release → evening
This is a developing story.
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This → develop → ?
The Aporia
