A Venezuelan DoorDash driver was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas. This has sparked protests and demands from local officials for more information about what led to the encounter. Per ABC, the man was identified by his lawyers as 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.
Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery when he encountered ICE, his lawyer and DoorDash confirmed. He was later released from the hospital and placed in federal custody, although his exact location was not publicly known.
The shooting happened near Research Boulevard and Anderson Square in North Austin. A blue Toyota Corolla found at the scene had visible bullet holes and damage. Texas Department of Public Safety officials said they were called to assist with a vehicle pursuit and arrived after the shooting had already occurred.
Local officials want to know exactly what happened
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson publicly criticized the shooting and called for answers from federal authorities. He said he was “very angry and extremely disappointed that a person was shot on the streets of Austin by ICE.”
Watson also questioned the circumstances surrounding the federal operation. He said Austin residents “have a right to know what happened and they have a right to feel safe in their community.”
The role of Austin police in the investigation has become another point of concern. Councilmember Mike Siegel said local officers were not permitted to conduct their own crime scene investigation because the scene was controlled by federal and state authorities.
Siegel also described a sequence of events that differs in important details from the limited information released by authorities. He said an ICE Ford Expedition rammed the blue Toyota, after which an ICE officer got out and fired multiple shots.
“The crime scene was entirely controlled by ICE,” Siegel said in the report. He said Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Public Safety were also involved at the scene, while Austin police were prevented from carrying out their own investigation.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis has said the available information was preliminary and that the shooting may have followed a brief foot pursuit after a traffic stop. Austin police officers were not involved in the shooting itself, and local investigators were in contact with federal authorities.
The federal government has given a different account of Garces Perez’s immigration status. The Department of Homeland Security said Homeland Security Investigations, with FBI assistance, is leading the investigation.
They described him as a Venezuelan national who had entered the country illegally and had a final order of removal. His lawyer has disputed parts of the government’s account, including the circumstances surrounding his immigration status.
Published: Sep 21, 2026 11:30 am