Venezuelan man shot by ICE remains in detention

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a vehicle stop in Austin, remains in federal detention with a bullet lodged near his spine as federal and local investigations proceed. His medical condition and the circumstances of the shooting remain contested or unclear, while the Department of Homeland Security has not provided a detailed account of the encounter. Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery when the shooting occurred on Sunday, September 20, according to accounts in the reports. He said officers in an unmarked vehicle sideswiped his car and that he was shot as he tried to park. DHS described him as the subject of a targeted vehicle stop and suggested he tried to evade arrest, but did not explain what happened immediately before the officer fired. ICE has not said whether the agent who fired was wearing a body camera. Garces Perez was taken to a hospital and then released into ICE custody with the bullet still in his back, his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said. He was taken to a hospital again on Monday, September 21, before returning to detention, according to his attorney.