Venezuelan DoorDash driver shot and wounded by ICE agent in Austin, Texas, officials say

CNN

By Eduardo Cuevas, Boer Deng, Julianna Bragg, CNN

Austin, Texas (CNN) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and wounded a man from Venezuela who was working as a DoorDash driver Sunday in Texas’ capital, city officials confirmed, with protests erupting at the scene against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Federal authorities have not said what led up to the shooting, which came as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement operations across the country and just two months after ICE agents fatally shot a Mexican man during a traffic stop in Houston.

The man shot Sunday in Austin was identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, by Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration lawyer who said she is representing his family.

Officials said Perez was shot in the torso just before 1 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of U.S. 183 and Anderson Square in North Austin. DoorDash told CNN that Perez was working as a dasher at the time of the shooting.

Perez is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela who had a final order for removal, the Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X. He was stable and “in federal custody pending removal,” DHS said.

Homeland Security Investigations, DHS’ investigative branch, will lead the investigation with assistance from the FBI, the post said without, providing further details.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said in a video on her Instagram that she believed Perez had no criminal history and no final order of removal from the US. She later told CNN she could not confirm Perez’s immigration status.

Democratic Congressman Greg Casar, who represents Austin, told CNN it is unclear if 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, writing on X: “If ICE deports him, the key witness to their shooting disappears. He must not be removed from this country, and he must receive proper medical care.”

Perez’s wife said she wasn’t aware of an order of removal, believing he was going through immigration proceedings, Lincoln-Goldfinch 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. “Our immediate concern is ensuring that his family receives accurate and timely information and that appropriate access and communication are provided while the matter is being addressed.”

Lincoln-Goldfinch said her office is working to obtain additional information.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters there may have been a foot chase with the ICE agent, but cautioned the information was preliminary and said she had not yet been briefed by federal partners.

The Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN troopers were requested for assistance in a vehicle pursuit, but the officer-involved shooting took place before they made it to the scene.

Once they arrived, troopers immediately began performing medical treatment on the driver alongside partner law enforcement officers, the agency said.

Video of 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 several witness videos taken at the scene.

The Travis County District Attorney’s office has 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. As has occurred in other jurisdictions, it is possible that this incident included violations of state law,” the statement added.

Austin’s Democratic Mayor Kirk Watson also 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.

The Trump administration has surged immigration agents to several Democrat-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.

At least 20 people have been shot by on-duty ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents during the second Trump administration, eight fatally, prior to Sunday, according to a CNN analysis.

While Texas is a Republican-led state, its capital city, Austin, leans heavily blue.

Casar told reporters the city has seen an ICE surge come to Austin, 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.”

Casar told CNN he is in touch with representatives of the family and previously spoke with some of the man’s family members after the shooting.

“Right now, this man’s family is just trying to see him,” he said.

Protesters gather near the scene

Hours after the shooting, dozens of protesters gathered, near the site of the shooting at a busy intersection beside a towering highway overpass in Sunday’s 95-degree heat.

The protesters lined up on one side, some bearing anti-ICE signs and Mexican flags, shouting slogans as traffic in the area slowed to a crawl while uniformed officers tried to contain the crowds.

Janney Olvera, 13, told CNN affiliate KEYE she and her mother went to the protest immediately after she finished cheerleading practice. On the side of the road, 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.”

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 guarantee any DHS or ICE official who violates a person’s constitutional rights to be investigated and prosecuted.

“No agency should be the sole judge of its own conduct,” Roman Palomares, LULAC 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.

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CNN’s Amanda Jackson, Sarah Dewberry, Priscilla Alvarez, Federica Narcancio and Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report.