City officials announced a news conference planned for 4 p.m. at City Hall, in which Mayor Kirk Watson, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis and Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz will address the shooting.
— Katey Psencik, Breaking and Trending Editor
Rep. Greg Casar issued a statement about the shooting on Instagram, writing, “The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning. As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law. Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened. We can see the lies with our own eyes. We will demand truth, transparency and accountability. Just like Americans have from Minneapolis to Houston, Austinites will speak out peacefully against this deadly mass deportation machine. ICE has been terrorizing our country for far too long. We will not be silent.”
— Katey Psencik, Breaking and Trending Editor
A federal immigration agent shot and wounded a man Sunday in North Austin, according to three state and local officials briefed on the incident. The man was taken to a hospital by Austin-Travis County EMS and was alert and talking, according to the city’s communications office.
The shooting occurred early Sunday afternoon in the 7000 block of West Anderson Lane near U.S. 183 and Research Boulevard.
“Austin police officers were not involved in the situation and we do not know what led to the incident,” city officials said in an email to Austin City Council members.
The email said Austin officers closed part of the southbound frontage road near Research Boulevard and Anderson Square after the shooting to help manage traffic.
A dark blue Toyota Corolla was parked under the overpass at Research Boulevard and West Anderson Lane, with damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes.
A large law enforcement presence gathered at the scene, with Austin police directing traffic. Several Texas Department of Public Safety officials were also present, along with a growing crowd of onlookers.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The shooting comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement in Austin. In January, Austin police responding to a disturbance call notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after identifying a woman who was the subject of an administrative immigration warrant. Federal agents took the woman and her 5-year-old daughter into custody, and the family later said they had been deported. The incident prompted Police Chief Lisa Davis to revise the department’s policy on cooperation with ICE.
— Tony Plohetski, Investigative Reporter and Austin Sanders, Public Safety Reporter