A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man, during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Garces Perez was hit once in the torso and is in stable condition at a hospital. Mayor Kirk Watson and US Rep Greg Casar have called for an independent investigation into the incident, citing concerns about ICE's credibility conducting its own probe. The shooting has prompted protests and demands from local officials for broader participation by Austin police and prosecutors in the investigation.
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.
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.
asserted
incident → shoot → 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.
asserted
officials → identify → hospital
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the shooting happened after a traffic stop in northern Austin.
asserted
shooting → say → Austin
She cautioned that information about the incident was still preliminary.
asserted
information → caution → incident
Austin police were not involved in the shooting, although local investigators were at the scene.
asserted
investigators → involve → 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.
asserted
city → say → operations
Watson said he wanted Austin police and other local authorities involved in the investigation rather than leaving it solely to ICE.
asserted
police → say → 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.
asserted
Watson → say → others
US Rep Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin, had called for an independent investigation shortly after the shooting was reported.
asserted
shooting → represent → investigation
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.
asserted
He → send → agent
“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.”
asserted
he → come → truth
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.
asserted
police → ask → authorities
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately provide details about the shooting.
asserted
which → oversee → 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.
asserted
she → say → status
The attorney said Garces Perez's family initially struggled to obtain information from the hospital.
asserted
family → say → hospital
His wife was later informed that he had been released into ICE custody several hours after the shooting.
asserted
he → inform → shooting
It was not immediately clear whether he remained at the hospital or had been transferred elsewhere.
asserted
he → remain → hospital
About 100 protesters gathered near the shooting site as a large law enforcement presence remained in the area.
asserted
presence → gather → area
A dark blue Toyota Corolla with damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes was later towed away.
asserted
what → appear → door
The Austin incident follows other shootings involving immigration agents.
asserted
incident → follow → agents
In July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston after federal agents pursued him in unmarked vehicles.
asserted
agents → shoot → vehicles
Another ICE officer shot 25-year-old Colombian man Johan Sebastián in Maine in July.
asserted
officer → shoot → July
The administration's immigration crackdown has also faced widespread criticism following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
asserted
crackdown → face → Minnesota
The Aporia
