AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) — New questions are emerging about what happened in the minutes leading up to Sunday’s shooting in North Austin, after Austin police released additional video that still does not show the moment shots were fired.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said they plan to visit Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez Wednesday at the ICE detention facility.
Austin police released new video that includes an off-duty APD detective’s dash camera showing ICE agents near Garcés Pérez’s blue car. The detective then went inside a nearby shopping center. APD said there was a vehicle pursuit during the next 10 to 15 minutes, but the department said it has no evidence of a foot pursuit.
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“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.
The video released so far does not show the shooting. New APD body camera video does show Garcés Pérez grimacing in pain after the shooting.
As of Tuesday’s press conference, APD said it did not know whether the ICE agent had a body camera. Garcés Pérez’s attorney said the ICE officer who fired was not wearing a body camera.
The unanswered questions include what happened after the initial stop, what happened during the pursuit, and what led to the shooting under the overpass.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who represents the Austin area, said earlier this week, “We’re also asking for accountability, which means holding any ICE officer accountable who broke the law, and not having any ICE officer leave the state like we’ve seen in other situations.”
Garcés Pérez’s attorney said a federal judge has temporarily blocked his deportation. The judge ordered him to appear in person for a Sept. 30 hearing.