ICE Agent Shoots And Wounds Venezuelan Man During Austin Texas Immigration Operation: Wilber Rafael Garces Perez 28 Venezuela Shot Once In Torso Serious But Stable Shooting Shortly Before 1pm North Austin Research Boulevard Anderson Square ICE Vehicle Pursuit Blue Toyota Corolla
An ICE officer shot and seriously wounded a Venezuelan man Sunday afternoon as he was delivering food in Austin, Texas. Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch identified him as Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez, 28. He was taken to a local hospital and is “in serious but stable condition” after being shot in the torso, Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said at a news conference. NBC News
The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. in North Austin. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sheridan Nolen said the agency received a request for assistance from ICE for a vehicle pursuit involving a blue Toyota Corolla.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said the Austin Police Department was not involved in the incident. Police Chief Lisa Davis said a “small foot pursuit” had occurred and that Austin police investigators were on the scene. “A person being shot on the streets of Austin by someone purporting to be law enforcement, particularly when it’s ICE, is something that causes me to be unhappy and angry,” Watson said at the news conference.
The Department of Homeland Security said Monday it was leading the investigation into the officer involved in a shooting of “an illegal alien from Venezuela” during an operation in Austin, Texas. DHS said the man’s condition was stable, and that he was “in federal custody pending removal.” Homeland Security Investigations will lead the investigation with assistance from the FBI.
Demonstrators quickly mobilised following reports of the shooting, lining sidewalks, waving Mexican flags and chanting “Abolish ICE.” DPS used pepper balls to clear protesters out of the street near the scene. Congressman Greg Casar, a Democrat who represents Austin, demanded an independent investigation into Sunday’s shooting. “Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened,” Casar said.
Austin Mayor Watson said he was angry and upset about the shooting but “not surprised at all.” He said this has happened in other cities like Chicago and Minneapolis where the Department of Homeland Security has conducted big immigration enforcement operations.
Check out our previous coverage of US immigration policy on The Trusted Times.
