A federal immigration agent shot and wounded a 28-year-old Venezuelan man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday while he was making a DoorDash delivery, setting off multiple investigations and competing accounts of what happened before the gunfire.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot in the torso during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in North Austin. He was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition and was later released into federal custody. DoorDash confirmed that Garces Perez was in the process of making a delivery when the shooting occurred.
Exactly what led to the shooting remains unclear. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said preliminary information indicated there may have been a brief foot pursuit, while Texas state officials said ICE had requested assistance with a pursuit involving a blue Toyota Corolla before the shooting occurred. Garces Perez’s attorney has provided a different account, saying he was inside his vehicle when he was shot. No publicly released video has yet established the full sequence of events.
There is also a dispute over Garces Perez’s immigration status. The Department of Homeland Security says he entered the United States illegally and is subject to a final removal order. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, says he entered the country legally and had been issued authorization to work in the United States.
Homeland Security Investigations is leading the federal investigation with assistance from the FBI. Austin officials are also seeking a substantial role in determining what happened. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office has asked that it and the Austin Police Department become co-equal partners in the investigation and that federal authorities provide access to the evidence.
The Readovia Lens
The central issue in this case now is establishing exactly what happened in the moments before an ICE officer opened fire. With federal authorities, local officials and Garces Perez’s attorney offering accounts that differ on important details, evidence from the scene — including any available video, witness accounts and investigative findings — will be critical to determining how an immigration operation ended with a delivery driver shot and hospitalized.
