Man injured in ICE shooting in Austin, Texas, officials say

ICE Agent Shoots Man in Austin as Local Officials Seek Independent Review

Cybersecarmor.com – A man was seriously wounded after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fired a weapon in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 20, prompting city and county leaders to demand access to evidence and a role in the investigation.

Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckwritz said emergency crews were alerted shortly before 1 p.m., at approximately 12:56 p.m. local time. The injured man was transported to a hospital with a single gunshot wound. Luckwritz described his condition as serious but stable.

City officials did not initially publicly name the wounded person. He was alert and able to communicate after being taken to the hospital, the city’s communications office said. Austin police officers were not involved in the shooting, and city officials said they did not know what events led up to it.

Attorney identifies injured man

Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch identified the man as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan national. She said she had received no update for at least six hours about his medical condition or where he was being held.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces Perez is married to a woman with lawful status in the United States. She said he called his wife and told her he had been shot while inside his car.

Television footage from the area showed demonstrators gathering across from a blue Toyota Corolla with visible damage to its passenger-side door. ICE agents were nearby as protesters assembled.

Federal agencies had not publicly provided a detailed account of the incident by the time Austin officials held a news conference. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately offer public comment, while Austin officials and the Austin Police Department also were asked for information.

Calls for transparency from Austin leaders

Rep. Greg Casar, the Democrat representing eastern Austin, called for an independent inquiry and the release of body-camera recordings. In a social media post, he said the shooting had brought “the horror” to the city and accused ICE of giving misleading accounts after prior shootings.

“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened,” Casar wrote. “We can see the lies with our own eyes. We will demand truth, transparency and accountability.”

Mayor Kirk Watson said he did not know where the ICE officer involved was after the shooting. He said he hoped the officer would remain in Austin and Texas while the matter is examined.

“My hope would be that the agent who is involved in an officer-involved shooting would not leave the city, certainly not leave the state,” Watson said. “If you believe in transparency and not just the creation of chaos, that would not be the case either.”

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said she had not yet received a briefing from federal authorities and did not know what type of operation preceded the shooting. Council Member Mike Siegel said the matter was being investigated federally, but said the city should participate in the process.

The Travis County District Attorney’s Office asked for the district attorney and Austin Police Department to be treated as “coequal partners” in the investigation. Its statement emphasized the need for all facts to be made public and for an independent inquiry to be completed.

“A member of our community was shot by an ICE agent this afternoon. It is critical that all the facts come to light and that an independent investigation be completed,” the district attorney’s office said.

The office also requested federal cooperation in providing access to evidence. It said the incident could potentially involve violations of Texas law, as has happened in other jurisdictions. That request underscores a central question following the shooting: whether local investigators will be able to independently review physical evidence, video, witness accounts, and the federal operation itself.

Part of a broader series of ICE shootings

The Austin shooting comes during an aggressive period of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration and follows several other incidents involving ICE officers this year.

In Houston, ICE officer involvement in the July 7 shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo drew attention. Six days later, an ICE officer fatally shot Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine. Federal officers also killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge in January.

In a separate case, ICE officer Christian Castro, 52, faces assault charges connected to the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, who was 24. The incidents have intensified scrutiny of federal enforcement actions, the use of force, and the degree to which local authorities can examine shootings involving federal personnel.

For Austin residents, the immediate unanswered issues include why the ICE operation was underway, what happened before the weapon was fired, the status of Garces Perez, and what evidence will be available for outside review. Officials have not identified the ICE officer involved or provided an account of the officer’s actions.

The shooting also occurred amid leadership changes at ICE. Last week, President Donald Trump withdrew Lance Schroyer’s nomination to lead the agency. The decision came less than three months after Trump selected the former Oklahoma state trooper for the prominent position. Schroyer had been serving as a special adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

As federal investigators proceed, Austin leaders and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office are pressing for a transparent process in which local authorities can fully evaluate what occurred. The public record has so far established that a man was shot, taken to a hospital, and remained in serious but stable condition; many of the circumstances behind the confrontation remain unresolved.