A man was reportedly shot and injured during an altercation with federal law enforcement officers in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, sparking reaction from residents in the area.
The family’s legal representative identified the man as Wilbur Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old from Venezuela, according to The Associated Press. Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch added that she didn’t know his current immigration status.
The shooting occurred on the north side of Austin at about 1 p.m. local time. Garces Perez was fulfilling a DoorDash order — which the company confirmed to CBS News — when the shooting occurred.
During a press conference on Sunday, EMS said it arrived at the crime scene within 3½ minutes of receiving the notification, where responders discovered a man with a gunshot wound to the torso area who was in stable but serious condition.
Austin City Police Chief Lisa Davis stated that local law enforcement was not involved in the shooting, and that she is currently trying to determine the specifics of what happened between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Garces Perez.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted on social media that Garces Perez had final order removals and came into the country illegally during the Biden administration. The X post said DHS would be working with the FBI on the investigation and that Garces Perez was in stable condition and under federal custody pending removal.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has requested that local law enforcement do a separate investigation. “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,” he said on X.
He continued, “While I’m angry and disappointed, I’m not surprised. This has happened in other cities. With the rogue nature of ICE and the chaos we’re seeing fomented by ICE, there’s no reason to be surprised. Austinites have a right to know what happened and they have a right to feel safe in their community.”
According to The New York Times, Garces Perez had called his wife, saying he was in pain following the shooting. By the time she arrived at the scene, her husband had already been taken to the hospital. By Sunday evening, she was reportedly told that her husband had been discharged into ICE custody and that his whereabouts were unknown.
Protests broke out in the streets of Austin following the news of the shooting.