A Venezuelan national identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot and wounded by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent while making a DoorDash delivery in Austin, Texas. Mayor Kirk Watson has called for an independent investigation involving local police forces, arguing that ICE should not handle the probe alone due to concerns about its impartiality. The incident occurred during a significant uptick in ICE operations in Austin, leading to community outrage and protests demanding transparency and accountability from federal authorities.
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.
The Mayor of Austin, Kirk Watson, has called for an independent probe involving local police, saying ICE should not investigate the incident by itself.
asserted
ICE → call → itself
A Venezuelan national was shot and wounded by a US immigration agent, Texas officials said on Sunday, as they voiced outrage and demanded a thorough investigation.
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they → shoot → investigation
Tasked with enforcing Trump's immigration crackdown, heavily armed and often masked US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have faced nationwide backlash for aggressive and often violent tactics, including the shooting of American citizens.
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agents → task → citizens
The man, identified by his lawyer as 28-year-old Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was taken to a hospital in Texas's capital city Austin in a serious but stable condition after being shot in the torso, officials said.
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officials → identify → torso
The wounded man's lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said on X that Garces Perez had been shot by an ICE agent while making "a DoorDash delivery."
The shooting took place during a "significant increase, almost overnight" of ICE operations in the Texas capital, Mayor Kirk Watson told a press conference.
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Watson → say → conference
The Department of Homeland Security said Monday it was leading an investigation into the officer involved in the shooting with the help of the FBI.
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it → say → FBI
The department said in a post on X that the man had "illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal.
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man → say → removal
"
"The illegal alien's condition is stable, and he is in federal custody pending removal," it added.
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it → pende → removal
Watson said he was "very angry and extremely disappointed that a person was shot on the streets of Austin by ICE."
He said local law enforcement should be involved in the investigation.
"
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enforcement → say → investigation
The credibility of ICE doing some form of investigation just by itself and excluding others would not be appropriate," he said.
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he → do → others
Texas Democratic Representative Greg Casar echoed that sentiment, telling reporters that "ICE has not been truthful in shootings in other cities."
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ICE → echo → cities
Casar cited the January shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis in which video footage belied ICE accounts that she had attempted to run over a federal agent.
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she → cite → agent
"It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep," he said.
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he → come → doorstep
"A few weeks ago as we saw the ICE surge come...I and others said that ICE needed to leave before someone was shot."
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someone → see → ?
The House Democrat called for the release of body camera footage of Sunday's incident.
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Democrat → call → incident
A few hours later, Casar said Garces Perez had been "taken out of the hospital and into ICE custody.
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Perez → say → custody
"
"If ICE deports him, the key witness to their shooting disappears," the lawmaker added.
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lawmaker → deport → shooting
"He must not be removed from this country and he must receive proper medical care."
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he → remove → care
Lincoln-Goldfinch said her client was placed "into custody, but we still don't know his location."
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we → say → location
The shooting sparked outrage in the community with video footage posted by local news outlets to social media showing several dozen people protesting at the alleged shooting site.
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people → spark → site
Donald Trump campaigned for president in 2016 and again in 2024, on a promise to expel millions of undocumented migrants, and has taken a series of dramatic actions since returning to the White House aimed at speeding up deportations and reducing border crossings.
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Trump → campaign → crossings
Nearly 51,000 undocumented migrants were arrested in the United States in August, according to Department of Homeland Security figures.
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migrants → arrest → figures
Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old was shot by ICE in March 2025, in what the Texas Tribune said was the first known killing by immigration agents of an American in Trump's second term.
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Tribune → shoot → term
The Aporia
