AUSTIN, Texas – A man was shot and injured by a federal immigration enforcement agent on Sunday in Austin, according to city officials.
The man was identified Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, of Venezuela, by his lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch. She said he had a valid work permit and entered the U.S. legally.
Garces Perez was released from the hospital and into federal custody Sunday evening, Lincoln-Goldfinch said. It is unclear what led up to the shooting, and the Department of Homeland Security has not yet provided details.
People speak during a demonstration where a man was shot in his vehicle by an ICE officer, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
There are conflicting reports about whether Garces Perez was inside a vehicle or on foot, but Lincoln-Goldfinch said he was making a food delivery.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said the family hadn’t “been permitted to see him and have not received a meaningful update regarding his current status or circumstances.”
Sunday’s shooting is now at least the third instance of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shooting a person in Texas since March 2025.
Timeline of events, according to local officials
Emergency crews were dispatched at 12:56 p.m. to a reported shooting, according to Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Rob Luckritz.
Paramedics arrived less than four minutes later and found an adult man with a gunshot wound. The man, later identified as Garces Perez by his attorney, was transported to a local trauma center.
In this photo taken with a smart phone Police move a car from the area where an ICE officer shot a man in Austin, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Jesse Bedayn) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Garces Perez was taken from the scene within nine minutes of crews arriving at the scene, Luckritz said.
Luckritz said the patient was taken from the scene within nine minutes of EMS crews’ arrival.
Texas state troopers stand behind police tape at the site where local authorities say a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE) shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Sheridan Nolen, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said state troopers received a call at around 12:50 p.m. from ICE officials asking for help in a pursuit of a blue Toyota Corolla. Before troopers arrived, the ICE agent had shot the man, Nolen said.
“Once they arrived, DPS Troopers immediately began assisting partner law enforcement agencies in performing medical treatment on the driver of the Toyota Corolla,” Nolen said.
Authorities deploy non-lethan weapons near a demonstration where a man was shot in his vehicle by an ICE officer, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Protesters gather at site of shooting
A crowd of protesters gathered at the scene of the shooting throughout the afternoon, shouting at officials on the scene.
People protest at the site where local authorities say a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE) shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Just before 6 p.m., officers shot pepper ball-like projectiles at the crowd after some demonstrators threw rocks and water bottles at law enforcement as some were readying to leave the area.
A 14-year-old boy was one of the ones impacted by the chemical, his father told Austin police.
People speak during a demonstration where a man was shot in his vehicle by an ICE officer, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Austin leaders seek independent investigation
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at a news conference earlier in the day that he wants an independent investigation into the shooting, in part, because of the “chaos” he sees it causing.
Watson said he is “angry” but “not surprised at all” that an ICE agent has shot someone in the city. He said the shooting happened as immigration operations in Austin have picked up in the past few weeks.
Austin police and Texas Rangers plan to investigate the shooting along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency that oversees immigration enforcement, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.
“If there’s nothing wrong with that, they should welcome an investigation. And if you’re pro law enforcement, you should see that an investigation that is done right will only enhance credibility,“ Watson said. “Austinites should know the truth, and I am pleased that we’re in a situation where Austin will also be involved in this investigation.”
Asked if Austin authorities knew where the involved federal agent is, given that agents have left states after previous shootings nationwide, the mayor said: “We do not know that. But my hope would be that, an agent that’s involved in an officer-involved shooting would not leave the city. Certainly not leave the state.”
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, who also at Sunday’s news conference, said he supported outside agencies investigating the shooting because “ICE has not been truthful in shootings in other cities.”
“It is appropriate for this community to ask for independence, to ask for transparency, and to ask for accountability,” he said. “This is a pattern. It’s a disturbing pattern, and it’s got to stop.”
The Associated Press and Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
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