Overview
- The shooting occurred Sunday, Sept. 20, in north Austin when an ICE agent fired on 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, who was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
- An on-scene account from Austin councilman Mike Siegel and a nearby witness says an unmarked ICE vehicle struck Garcés’s car, the agent exited and fired multiple times, and officers later handcuffed the wounded man.
- Austin officials including Mayor Kirk Watson and Police Chief Lisa Davis said local police did not take part in the operation and called for the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the use of force.
- Garcés’s lawyer confirmed he was moved from the hospital into ICE custody, the identity of the federal agent has not been released, and DHS/ICE had not provided immediate public comment.
- Advocates and reporters place the case in a pattern of stepped-up federal immigration enforcement in Texas, noting prior deadly encounters such as the July killing in Houston and media tallies of drivers shot during recent federal operations, which fuels calls for independent review and safeguards for witnesses and medical care.