A man identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot in the torso by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a traffic stop on the north side of Austin on Sunday afternoon. He was transported to a hospital where he was reported to be in serious but stable condition.
According to immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, who is representing the man’s family, he is a Venezuelan national with no apparent criminal history. The attorney stated she believed he had no final removal order from the United States, though she later indicated uncertainty about his current immigration status. The family has faced difficulties obtaining information about his condition and whereabouts from the hospital.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis clarified that local police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting itself, which occurred following the traffic stop. However, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, expressed his desire for the city’s police department to participate in the investigation to provide independent oversight. Watson stated that allowing ICE to investigate itself would be inappropriate and that residents deserve transparency in such cases.
The incident drew approximately 100 protesters to the scene, with demonstrators expressing concerns about ICE operations in the city. US Representative Greg Casar called for transparency in the investigation and suggested that ICE’s enforcement surge in Austin should be reconsidered. This shooting represents part of a broader enforcement trend, as ICE operations across the nation have intensified this summer, achieving record monthly arrest numbers. A previous fatal shooting involving an ICE officer occurred in July in Houston.
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