An agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and wounded a man during a traffic stop in North Austin on Sunday afternoon, city officials confirmed. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis stated during a press conference that the man was transported to a local hospital in serious but stable condition with a gunshot wound to the torso.
The incident occurred on Sunday, Sept. 20. According to Chief Davis, Austin Police Department (APD) officers were not involved in the initial operation or the shooting. APD units arrived on the scene after the event occurred. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not have a representative at the press conference and had not issued a public statement at the time of the briefing.
A relative and an attorney identified the man as Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28. His lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said Garcés Pérez arrived in the U.S. from Venezuela two years ago and was working for a food delivery service when the shooting took place.
Witnesses at a nearby business described hearing a gunshot and seeing a blue sedan and a black SUV stopped in a parking lot. Nedavia Bolaños, who recorded video footage on her phone, said she saw federal agents in tactical vests standing near the vehicle. Her footage shows Austin police officers arriving, retrieving a medical kit, and administering first aid to the wounded man. In the video, the man is seen being removed from the vehicle and handcuffed by a federal agent before receiving medical attention from APD.
Following the shooting, protesters gathered at the location. The crowd grew to approximately 100 people, with some demonstrators shouting at law enforcement officers present at the scene.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, speaking at the press conference alongside Chief Davis, called for APD to be involved in the investigation to provide “clear, third-party eyes.”
“Austin residents have a right to feel safe in their city,” Watson stated, adding that he believed it would be inappropriate for ICE to conduct the investigation on its own.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who represents parts of Austin, also called for transparency in the investigation. “It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep,” Casar told reporters at the scene.
Later on Sunday, Lincoln-Goldfinch stated that she and Garcés Pérez’s wife went to the hospital but were unable to see him. She said hospital staff later informed her that ICE had taken Garcés Pérez from the facility around 4:30 p.m. As of late Sunday evening, the attorney said the family had not been able to contact him and did not know his location.
“I’m afraid he’s not stable. I’m afraid he’s not receiving medical care, and I’m afraid they’re going to try to deport him to make this go away,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. No official details regarding the circumstances that led to the traffic stop or the use of force have been released by federal authorities.
