A man identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 29, of Venezuela, was shot and injured by a federal ICE officer in North Austin, Texas, on Sunday.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of U.S. 183 and Anderson Square just before 1 p.m., according to authorities.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Garces Perez was shot once in the torso and was in serious but stable condition at a hospital on the city’s north side.
Federal law enforcement sources told CBS News that ICE agents were attempting to apprehend a Venezuelan man living in the U.S. illegally who had an outstanding deportation order.
Chief Davis said the shooting may have involved a foot pursuit but cautioned that the information was preliminary and that local police were not involved in the incident.
Austin City Council member Mike Siegel, who represents District 7, alleged that an ICE officer rammed the man’s car, then exited his federal vehicle and opened fire at least five times.
Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, who represents Garces Perez, told NPR he is married to a woman who has legal status to be in the U.S., and that he called his wife to report he had been shot inside his car and was yelling in pain.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said, “We were told that he was at this hospital, so we came back and they have run us off the property,” referring to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, adding that authorities declined to confirm his presence there.
She further stated, “We have been informed that if he’s in ICE custody, they will decline to confirm that he’s here. And no one has updated her about his status.”
By late Sunday afternoon, roughly 100 protesters had gathered near the scene, and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers fired pepper balls toward the crowd at least twice as demonstrators moved closer to the area.
Austin police, outfitted in riot gear, were also present at the scene as tensions rose throughout the afternoon.
Congressman Greg Casar, a Democrat representing Austin, demanded an independent investigation into the shooting and released a statement condemning federal immigration enforcement conduct.
“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened,” Casar said in a news release, calling for immediate accountability from the Department of Homeland Security.
Casar also demanded that all footage of the shooting be fully released and that the agent involved be suspended and remain in Austin during any ongoing investigation.
“I am also demanding accountability for the agent responsible for any and all wrongdoing,” Casar said, pressing federal authorities to cooperate fully with an independent review of the incident.
