ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say
[September 21, 2026]
By JESSE BEDAYN, CHRISTOPHER WEBER and REBECCA BOONE
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer
shot and wounded a man Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, local
authorities said, and anti-ICE protesters quickly gathered at the scene.
The man was in serious but stable condition at a hospital after being
shot once in the torso on the capital city's north side, Austin
officials said at a news conference.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, confirmed the
man was in stable condition and “in federal custody pending removal.”
Homeland Security Investigations, with FBI assistance, is investigating
“the officer involved shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela, who
illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a
final order of removal,” the department said in a statement.
City police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting,
which occurred after a traffic stop, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said
while briefing reporters along with the city's mayor and other
officials.
Mayor says he wants city's police involved in investigation
Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said he wants the city's police
department to have a role in the investigation so it can provide “clear,
third-party eyes” in the process. Watson said he does not think it would
be appropriate for ICE to conduct an investigation on its own.
Austin residents have “a right to feel safe in their city,” Watson said.
A proper investigation will only enhance credibility, he added.
The chief said there were not many facts she could provide so soon after
the incident but added that her department’s special investigation unit
was at the scene.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said it received a request from
ICE for assistance in a vehicle pursuit around 12:50 p.m. By the time
DPS troopers arrived, the shooting had already taken place, the
department said in a statement Sunday evening.
Attorney says man shot is from Venezuela
An immigration attorney representing the man’s family identified him as
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man.
Attorney Kate Lincoln Goldfinch said in a video posted to her Instagram
account that she believed he had no criminal history and no final order
of removal from the U.S., but she later told The Associated Press that
she did not know his current immigration status.
The man’s family has struggled to get any information from the hospital
about his status or location, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.
Just before 7 p.m., the man’s wife was informed by the hospital’s
attorney that the man had been released into ICE custody a few hours
earlier, Lincoln-Goldfinch wrote in a text to AP.
“No one bothered to update her,” she wrote.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the man remained hospitalized while in
ICE custody or if he had been transferred elsewhere.
Protesters turn out at the scene
A dark blue Toyota Corolla was parked under an overpass with damage to
its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes. The car
was towed away in the early evening and traffic began moving again.
[to top of second column]
|
A federal agent walks past a vehicle with a damaged door and holes
in the window after a man was shot in his vehicle by an ICE officer,
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez /Austin
American-Statesman via AP)
A large law enforcement presence was present along with a crowd of
about a hundred protesters. Some demonstrators cursed at police
officers holding riot shields, while others yelled out as passing
cars honked in support of the protest. One man held a sign saying,
“Nobody is safe” and, on the other side, “ICE Nazi.”
Asked if Austin authorities knew where the involved federal agent
is, given that agents have left states after previous shootings
nationwide, the mayor said: “We do not know that. But my hope would
be that, an agent that’s involved in an officer-involved shooting
would not leave the city. Certainly not leave the state.”
The office of Travis County District Attorney José Pompa Garza asked
that local police and prosecutors be included in the investigation.
“We further request cooperation from the federal government in
giving us access to the evidence,” the DA's office said in a
statement Sunday evening.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin,
called for transparency as the shooting is investigated.
“It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep,” Casar told
reporters. “For Austin to be safe, ICE should end its surge here.”
ICE enforcement surged around the nation over the summer
The shooting comes as ICE surges enforcement across the country this
summer, producing more than 50,000 arrests a month for the first
time in its history in July and August.
In July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado
Araujo, of Houston, after federal agents driving unmarked vehicles
pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site.
Also in July, 25-year-old Johan Sebastián, a Colombian man, was shot
by an ICE officer in Maine. The officer is an Army veteran who has
struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood
and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American
streets, several of his close relatives told AP.
The administration’s enforcement efforts were widely condemned last
winter after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in
Minnesota.
___
Weber reported from Los Angeles and Boone from Boise, Idaho.
Associated Press journalists Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode
Island, and Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
