North Austin ICE shooting tests sovereignty and the law

The dark blue Toyota Corolla sat under an overpass in north Austin on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. Its passenger-side door was damaged. At least two apparent bullet holes marked the car.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent had shot the driver once in the torso.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers got the call at about 12:50 p.m. ICE was requesting help in a pursuit of a blue Toyota Corolla. The agent had already fired before the troopers reached the scene. Sheridan Nolen, a DPS spokesperson, described what happened next. "Once they arrived, DPS Troopers immediately began assisting partner law enforcement agencies in performing medical treatment on the driver of the Toyota Corolla," Nolen said.

Austin-Travis County EMS was dispatched at 12:56 p.m. Paramedics arrived in under four minutes. The wounded man was taken from the scene within nine minutes of their arrival and brought to Dell Seton Medical Center in serious but stable condition. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the man had been shot at least once. No Austin police officer took part in the shooting. Local officers handled traffic control and scene security. DPS said ICE is handling the investigation. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for details. Authorities had not publicly detailed what led to the gunfire.

Austin City Council member Mike Siegel alleged that the ICE officer rammed the man's car, exited, and opened fire at least five times. A witness who encountered the ICE agent and the shot man still in the car asked whether an ambulance had been called. The agent said yes.

The man was identified by his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, of Venezuela. Lincoln-Goldfinch said he held a valid work permit, had entered the United States legally, and was making a food delivery. She said he called his wife from the hospital while yelling in pain. Garces Perez was released from the hospital into federal custody Sunday evening. The family, she said, had not been permitted to see him and had not received a meaningful update on his status. Federal authorities had not independently confirmed his immigration status, any criminal history, or the precise sequence of the stop.

By late afternoon roughly 100 protesters had gathered. Some waved Mexican and Guatemalan flags. Linda Gutierrez yelled at federal agents at the scene, believing the car belonged to a friend. Police tape was removed around 5:45 p.m. Around 6 p.m., after demonstrators threw rocks and water bottles, officers used pepper-ball projectiles. A 14-year-old boy was affected, according to his father. DPS troopers fired pepper balls as some in the crowd crossed toward the shooting scene, then stopped as the crowd retreated. Fox News headlined the night: "Protest erupts near Austin ICE shooting scene as night falls."

Mayor Kirk Watson did not hide his reaction. "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. He argued for a probe with local participation. "If there's nothing wrong with that, they should welcome an investigation. And if you're pro law enforcement, you should see that an investigation that is done right will only enhance credibility." On the agent's location he added, "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." State Rep. Gina Hinojosa backed that point: "I reaffirm Mayor Kirk Watson's call for the ICE agent involved in the shooting to remain in Texas until a full investigation concludes."

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar cast the shooting as a civic emergency. "The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning. As the facts emerge, I am demanding a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law." He followed with a second demand: "I'm demanding answers from DHS and ICE about today's shooting in Austin. They must preserve every piece of evidence, release the body cam footage, suspend the agent, and brief Congress. ICE has lied before. We deserve the truth."