AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — New video is shedding light on the lead-up to Sunday’s ICE-involved shooting in North Austin, though key moments remain missing.
Austin police released video that shows ICE agents with Wilber Garcés Pérez’s blue car before the shooting and the law enforcement response afterward. However, the video does not include the gunfire or the 10-15 minute period between the initial stop and the shooting.
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An off-duty Austin police detective happened to be nearby and captured ICE agents near Garcés Pérez’s vehicle on his personal dash camera before entering a nearby shopping center. According to Austin Police Department officials, there was a vehicle pursuit through nearby neighborhoods during the next 10 to 15 minutes, but the department clarified that it has no evidence of a foot chase.
“There is some video that we have, and again, we’re processing that video of a pursuit that went through some of the neighborhoods there, and it ended there,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.
Newly released video shows some of the moments before and after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot a Venezuelan man in North Austin on Sunday, but the footage released by Austin police Tuesday does not show the shooting itself. (Photo: APD)
Police said that video from this period exists and investigators are still working to collect and process it. What remains unclear is why Garcés Pérez left the initial traffic stop, what events occurred along the route, and what led to the shooting under the overpass.
Garcés Pérez’s attorney said her client reported being chased by a black SUV and did not initially realize it belonged to law enforcement. She said he was trying to reach a safer place, not attempting to get away.
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When the off-duty detective returned to his car, he began recording on his phone as three gunshots were heard. Body camera footage from the first Austin police officer on the scene shows the response after the shooting, but none of the released video includes the moment when shots were fired.
“I’m calling for the dash cam footage from ICE, and I don’t understand why they’re not turning it over to us,” said Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, who is Garcés Pérez’s immigration attorney.
One person was hurt in a shooting involving an ICE Officer in North Austin at Anderson Square Sunday afternoon. (Photo: CBS Austin)
Chief Davis said Austin police do not know whether the ICE agent who fired was wearing a body camera. As of Tuesday’s press conference, the department had not requested body-camera video or similar material from federal authorities.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garcés Pérez’s medical condition remains a concern while he is in federal detention.
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“He reported to me that last night he was brought to the hospital because he was losing mobility in his left arm,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said.
She said Garcés Pérez was returned to the Pearsall detention facility around midnight and his first federal court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30.
Dozens gathered for a memorial near the North Austin intersection where an ICE officer shot 28-year-old Wilber Garces Perez Sunday afternoon. (CBS Austin/Rachel Bacon)
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Austin police said investigators are still collecting video and other evidence as they work to piece together the missing timeline in this ongoing investigation.
CBS Austin has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security regarding the shooting, but has not received a response.