A man was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to the Austin Police Department, prompting protests at the scene and backlash from local officials.
He was delivering for DoorDash at the time of the encounter with ICE, his lawyer and the delivery platform confirmed to ABC News.
The man was identified by his lawyers as 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. He was taken to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the torso, where he was in serious but stable condition, officials said during a press conference.
He has allegedly been released from the hospital and is in ICE custody at an unknown location, his lawyer’s office said.
A man was shot and injured in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement incident in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to the Austin Police Department.
Mike Siegel
“We've not heard from ICE. No one has updated [his wife] about his care or how he is doing, and she has not spoken to him yet. So, we will be pursuing justice,†the firm said in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on social media, saying, “Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is leading the investigation into 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, during a law enforcement operation today in Austin, TX.”
“The illegal alien's condition is stable, and he is in federal custody pending removal,” the statement added. “This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information becomes available.”
ABC News has also reached out to ICE for a comment.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement he is “very angry and extremely disappointed that a person was shot on the streets of Austin by ICE.”
“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,” he wrote on X.
A man was shot and injured in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement incident in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to the Austin Police Department.
Mike Siegel
A video obtained by ABC News shows the moments after the man was shot. Taken by a witness and provided to a local city councilmember, the video shows him sitting hunched over in the driver’s seat of a blue sedan as ICE officers surround the car.
The man can be heard saying in Spanish that he was shot because he did not “brake.” Later in the video, the man is seen handcuffed while officers cut his shirt, exposing a gunshot wound on his back.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News the shooting occurred during a targeted ICE operation and the person shot is believed to be a Venezuelan national illegally in the United States with a final order of removal.
A car is damaged at the site where local authorities say a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE) shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Joel Angel Juarez/AP Photo
A source said that he is believed to be the target of the operation.Â
The incident occurred in North Austin near the intersection of Research Boulevard and Anderson Square Sunday afternoon, where a blue Toyota Corolla was at the scene with bullet holes and damage to the passenger-side doors, according to ABC News’ Austin affiliate KVUE.
Authorities stand near the scene where a man was shot in his vehicle by an ICE officer, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Joel Angel Juarez/AP Photo
The Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement that they were called to help with a pursuit involving a vehicle, but when they arrived at the scene, a person had already been shot. Texas DPS rangers are assisting Austin PD with the investigation.Â
An Austin city councilmember told ABC News that city police were not permitted to conduct a crime scene investigation.
“The crime scene was entirely controlled by ICE … HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as state police, Department of Public Safety, and so the city police were not being permitted to conduct a crime scene investigation,†Austin Councilmember Mike Siegel told ABC News.
People protest where local authorities say a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE) shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Joel Angel Juarez/AP Photo
Siegel said that a federal immigration officer fired “at least two shots†at an individual on Sunday afternoon.
“An ICE Ford Expedition rammed into the side of a blue Toyota sedan … an ICE officer got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots, at least two of which were visible to me as bullet holes in the rear passenger window,†he said.
The councilmember told ABC News that he is working with city officials to ensure that the ICE officer who allegedly shot the individual is not allowed to leave Texas.
