A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a 28-year-old man working as a DoorDash driver in North Austin on Sunday, September 20, 2026. City officials reported the man, identified by his attorney as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was transported to a hospital in serious but stable condition.
The shooting occurred around 12:55 p.m. local time at the intersection of U.S. 183 and Anderson Square. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis and Mayor Kirk Watson confirmed that local police officers were not involved in the incident. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described Garces Perez as a Venezuelan national with a final order of removal who entered the country illegally, his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, stated he previously held a valid work permit and, based on available information, entered the United States lawfully.
Conflicting accounts of the encounter have emerged. Austin City Council member Mike Siegel alleged an ICE officer rammed the man's car and fired at least five times, while Chief Davis said preliminary information suggested a foot pursuit occurred. Photographs from the scene showed a dark blue Toyota Corolla with damage to the passenger side and what appear to be two bullet holes in the rear window. DHS stated the man remains in federal custody pending removal.
Mayor Kirk Watson reported that ICE activity in the city has increased, rising from a count that could be made on one hand to more than 30 within a few days. The shooting has also led to calls for transparency from U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) and local leaders who are demanding an independent, third-party investigation rather than a probe by ICE.
The incident follows other shootings involving ICE agents, such as the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January and two foreign nationals in Texas and Maine in July. Those events led Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to order a temporary halt of vehicle stops by ICE, though the directive was countermanded the following day. The Texas Rangers and the Texas Department of Public Safety are involved in the response to the Austin shooting. U.S. Rep. Casar has also requested the immediate release of body camera footage.