ICE agent shoots DoorDash driver in Austin; victim says officers never identified themselves
A federal ICE agent shot and injured 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in North Austin on Sunday. The victim says an unmarked vehicle sideswiped his car before officers opened fire.
ICE shooting in North Austin: victim speaks from federal custody
A federal immigration agent shot and wounded 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez on Sunday around 12:56 p.m. in the 8000 block of Anderson Square in North Austin, according to statesman.com, which has been tracking live developments in the case.
Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz confirmed the time and location of the shooting. Garces Perez sustained a wound to his torso and was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in stable condition. He was released into ICE custody around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, the attorney representing his family.
Victim's account: no warning before collision
Speaking by speakerphone from federal custody on Monday afternoon, Garces Perez gave his first public account of the incident through a translator. He said he was driving along Anderson Lane to complete a DoorDash delivery when an unmarked black vehicle pulled alongside his car and attempted to strike it. He said he believed it was an aggressive driver and continued driving.
Garces Perez said the vehicle did not activate emergency lights or otherwise identify itself before the initial collision. According to his account, the vehicle sideswiped his car first. Only after that did agents turn on their emergency lights. He said he then attempted to find a safer place to pull over after realising the people behind him were federal immigration officers. The vehicle struck his car a second time, and officers shot him.
Garces Perez said he never exited his vehicle before the shooting and that there was no foot pursuit. Officers removed him from the car only after he had been shot and handcuffed, he said. He said he does not know how many times he was shot because he felt only one bullet wound. He added that one of the officers got into his vehicle and turned it off, and that he told officers he was in severe pain before losing consciousness.
Attorney Lincoln-Goldfinch, speaking at a news conference alongside leaders from the League of United Latin American Citizens, U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett and Greg Casar, and more than 20 community members, confirmed that Garces Perez told her the vehicle that struck him was unmarked. Believing it was another driver, he made a U-turn, she said. The vehicle struck his car again before an officer shot him in the back and pulled him from the car.
Medical care disputed
Garces Perez said he "is not doing well due to the gunshot wound" and has not received adequate medical treatment. He said he repeatedly complained of pain while at Dell Seton Medical Center but did not receive proper care. He said a doctor told him, "They're in a hurry to get you out of there."
He said he did not undergo surgery and that the bullet remains lodged near his spine. He said he was still actively bleeding when he spoke with Lincoln-Goldfinch on Monday morning and spent the night in a cold room without a bed. A nurse gave him one pill Monday morning, he said, but he remains in significant pain. The Austin American-Statesman has requested comment from Dell Seton Medical Center regarding his account of his treatment.
Immigration status disputed
Lincoln-Goldfinch also challenged the Department of Homeland Security's description of Garces Perez's immigration status. She said he entered the United States lawfully through the CBP One app in 2024, obtained a work permit, and was seeking asylum. A notice for an immigration court hearing was sent to a previous address, she said, resulting in a deportation order being issued after he failed to appear. Lincoln-Goldfinch said she does not yet know when that deportation order was issued.
In a statement released Sunday night, DHS said Garces Perez was in the country illegally and had a final order of removal. The Austin American-Statesman has requested additional details from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS about the shooting but had not received further comment beyond that statement at the time of publication.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said she is filing a temporary restraining order and a habeas corpus petition in federal court to prevent Garces Perez from being removed from the country while the investigation into Sunday's shooting continues.
Protest and one arrest
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for an independent investigation into the incident at a news conference. Protesters gathered at a memorial near the intersection of Anderson Square and Research Boulevard, the site of the shooting.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers made one arrest Sunday during demonstrations. DPS arrested Kevin Howard Davis, 60, for obstructing a highway or other passageway, a state felony. No one with that name was listed in the Travis County jail roster as of 4 p.m. Sunday. Austin Police Department officials had not responded to questions about any arrests made by Austin officers.
"Texas is a law-and-order state, and the department has zero tolerance for individuals who disrupt public order or endanger law enforcement officers," DPS spokesperson Sheridan Nolen said in a statement.
La Frontera Unida, a community organisation that advocates for immigrants' rights, planned a protest for 8 p.m. Monday at the Texas State Capitol.
Source: Google News MT