Man wounded in Texas after being shot by ICE agent; Austin mayor calls for independent investigation as victim identified as Venezuelan

A man was shot by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas, during a brief foot pursuit, resulting in a serious but stable condition at a local hospital. The victim, identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, is a Venezuelan immigrant with no known criminal history.³

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson expressed his outrage, demanding an independent investigation into the shooting, stating, "Though APD was not involved in the shooting, I believe that there needs to be an investigation that APD assures is clear-eyed, as complete as possible, and independent." The incident has sparked protests, with around 100 demonstrators gathering at the scene, voicing their opposition to ICE's actions.

Watson noted a "significant increase, almost overnight" in ICE operations in Austin, expressing disappointment but not surprise at the shooting. He criticized ICE's conduct, saying, "With the rogue nature of ICE and the chaos we're seeing fomented by ICE, there's no reason to be surprised." The Austin Police Department has deployed its Special Investigation Unit to probe the incident, with assistance from the Texas Rangers.

US Representative Greg Casar also called for transparency, accusing ICE of lacking honesty in their operations. He remarked, "It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep."

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Scene after ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas