ICE Agent Shoots and Wounds Venezuelan DoorDash Driver in Austin, Officials Say, as Protests Erupt
AUSTIN, Texas — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan man who was working as a DoorDash driver in Austin on Sunday, city officials said, an encounter that quickly brought protesters to a busy North Austin intersection and intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
The man was identified by immigration lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, who said she is representing his family, as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28. The Department of Homeland Security said Perez was stable and in federal custody pending removal.
Federal authorities have not said what led up to the shooting. It occurred as ICE operations are being expanded across the country and came just two months after ICE agents fatally shot a Mexican man during a traffic stop in Houston, a case that also drew local and national attention.
DHS said in a post on X that Perez was an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who had a final order of removal. Homeland Security Investigations, the department's investigative branch, will lead the investigation with assistance from the FBI, according to the post, which provided no further details.
“This is a developing situation, and we will update the public when more information becomes available,” DHS said.
Lincoln-Goldfinch told CNN she could not confirm Perez's immigration status. Perez's wife said she was not aware of a removal order and believed he was going through immigration proceedings, the lawyer said.
“What we do understand is that he previously held a valid work permit and that, based on the information available to us, he entered the United States lawfully,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said in a statement. She added that her immediate concern was ensuring the family receives accurate and timely information and that appropriate access and communication are provided while the matter is addressed. Lincoln-Goldfinch also said her office is working to obtain additional information.
DoorDash confirmed to CNN that Perez was working as a dasher at the time of the shooting.
Shooting happened before 1 p.m., officials say
The shooting occurred just before 1 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 183 and Anderson Square in North Austin, officials said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters there may have been a foot chase involving the ICE agent, but she cautioned that the information was preliminary and that she had not yet been briefed by federal partners.
The Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN that troopers were requested to assist in a vehicle pursuit, but the officer-involved shooting happened before they reached the scene. Once they arrived, the troopers immediately began providing medical treatment to the driver alongside other law enforcement officers, the agency said.
Video from the aftermath showed a blue Toyota Corolla with damage to the front passenger door and at least two apparent bullet holes in the right rear window, according to footage shared by CNN affiliate KVUE and witness videos taken at the scene.
Local officials seek independent inquiry
The Travis County District Attorney's office requested an independent investigation of the shooting, saying in a statement Sunday that the DA's office and the Austin Police Department should be “co-equal partners in the investigation.”
“We further request cooperation from the federal government in giving us access to the evidence,” the statement said. “As has occurred in other jurisdictions, it is possible that this incident included violations of state law.”
Austin's Democratic mayor, Kirk Watson, said an investigation would take place involving the Texas Rangers and Austin police.
“While I'm unhappy and I'm angry about it, I'm not surprised at all,” Watson said. “It's happened in other cities with the nature of ICE and the way ICE is doing its business these days.”
CNN has reached out to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office for comment.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who represents Austin, told CNN it was unclear whether Perez was the target of an ICE operation. He said Sunday evening that Perez was out of the hospital and had been taken into ICE custody.
“If ICE deports him, the key witness to their shooting disappears,” Casar wrote on X. “He must not be removed from this country, and he must receive proper medical care.”
Casar told reporters that Austin has seen an ICE surge, particularly in north-central Austin, where Sunday's shooting occurred.
“ICE needs to get out of our city and start telling people the truth,” Casar said. “We need the facts in this case to really understand what fully happened, but what we are seeing from ICE in Texas and across the country is unacceptable.”
He added that he was in touch with representatives of the family and had previously spoken with some of Perez's relatives after the shooting. “Right now, this man's family is just trying to see him,” he said.
Protests erupt at the scene
Hours after the shooting, dozens of protesters gathered near the site at a busy intersection beside a towering highway overpass, standing in 95-degree heat.
They lined up on one side, some carrying anti-ICE signs and Mexican flags, shouting slogans as traffic slowed to a crawl and uniformed officers tried to contain the crowd.
Janney Olvera, 13, told CNN affiliate KEYE that she and her mother went to the protest immediately after she finished cheerleading practice. She held a Mexican flag to honor her family's Mexican and Guatemalan heritage.
“We're not getting any justice,” Olvera said. “This is supposed to protect our streets? I don't think so.”
Shooting adds to national scrutiny
The Trump administration has surged immigration agents to several Democratic-run American cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis. Federal officers have fatally shot at least four people, including two American citizens, during operations across the country, according to CNN reporting.
Before Sunday, at least 20 people had been shot by on-duty ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents during the second Trump administration, eight of them fatally, according to a CNN analysis.
While Texas is a Republican-led state, its capital, Austin, leans heavily Democratic. The shooting is likely to deepen tensions between local officials and federal immigration authorities in a city that has already been a focal point of the administration's enforcement expansion.
In response to Sunday's shooting, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Latino civil rights organization founded in Texas, called on Congress to establish independent oversight of immigration and to ensure that any DHS or ICE official who violates a person's constitutional rights is investigated and prosecuted.
“No agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct,” Roman Palomares, LULAC's chair and national president, said in a statement. “When the government takes or endangers a life, the Constitution demands due process and accountability, and those protections belong to every person in this country.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN's Amanda Jackson, Sarah Dewberry, Priscilla Alvarez, Federica Narcancio and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report.
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