ICE officer shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say

An immigration attorney representing the man’s family identifies him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan.

People protest at the site where local authorities say a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas, on September 20, 2026 [Joel Angel Juarez/AP]

A man has been hospitalised after being shot in the torso by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in the Texas capital, Austin, local authorities said.

The man was in a serious but stable condition at a hospital after being shot once in the torso on the city’s north side on Sunday afternoon, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference with the local mayor and other city officials.

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An immigration attorney representing the man’s family identified him as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan.

Lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said in a video posted to her Instagram account that she believed he had no criminal history and no final order of removal from the US, but she later told the Associated Press news agency that she did not know his current immigration status.

The man’s family has struggled to get any information from the hospital about his status or location, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.

Austin police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting, which occurred after a traffic stop, Davis told reporters.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not participate in the news conference and didn’t immediately respond to requests for details.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said he wants the city’s police department to be involved in the investigation so it can provide “clear, third-party eyes” in the process. Watson said he does not think it would be appropriate for ICE to conduct an investigation on its own.

Austin residents have “a right to feel safe in their city”, Watson said. A proper investigation will only enhance credibility, he added.

Asked if Austin authorities knew where the involved federal agent is, given that agents have left states after previous shootings nationwide, the mayor said: “We do not know that. But my hope would be that an agent that’s involved in an officer-involved shooting would not leave the city. Certainly not leave the state.”

Davis said she did not yet know the nationality of the person who was shot. The police chief said there were not many facts she could provide so soon after the incident, but added that her department’s special investigation unit was at the scene.

Protesters gather at shooting site

A large law enforcement presence was at the location of the shooting, along with a crowd of about 100 protesters. Some demonstrators cursed at police officers holding riot shields, while others yelled out as passing cars honked in support of the protest. One man held a sign saying “Nobody is safe” and, on the other side, “ICE Nazi”.

US Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin, called for transparency as the shooting is investigated.

“It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep,” Casar told reporters. “For Austin to be safe, ICE should end its surge here.”

The shooting comes as ICE surged enforcement across the US this summer, producing more than 50,000 arrests a month for the first time in its history in July and August.

In July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo , of Houston, after federal agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site.

代表该男子家属的移民律师确认他的身份是威尔伯·拉斐尔·加尔塞斯·佩雷斯，一名28岁的委内瑞拉人。

2026年9月20日，在德克萨斯州奥斯汀，一名美国移民和海关执法局官员开枪打伤一名男子，人们在事发地点举行抗议活动。[Joel Angel Juarez/AP]

据当地政府称，一名男子在德克萨斯州首府奥斯汀被美国移民和海关执法局 (ICE) 官员开枪击中躯干后被送往医院。

奥斯汀警察局长丽莎·戴维斯在与当地市长和其他市政府官员举行的新闻发布会上表示，周日下午，一名男子在奥斯汀北部被枪击中躯干，目前在医院情况严重但稳定。

美国法官驳回明尼苏达州要求德克萨斯州引渡移民及海关执法局特工的请求（共3条，此为第1条）。

列表 2/3：车祸后，母女二人在医院被美国移民及海关执法局拘留

7 月份，美国移民执法人员逮捕了超过 49,500 人，这是 3 项调查中的第 3 项。

代表该男子家属的移民律师确认他的身份是威尔伯·拉斐尔·加尔塞斯·佩雷斯，一名28岁的委内瑞拉人。

律师凯特·林肯-戈尔德芬奇在她 Instagram 账户上发布的一段视频中表示，她相信他没有犯罪记录，也没有被美国最终驱逐出境的命令，但她后来告诉美联社，她不知道他目前的移民身份。

林肯-戈尔德芬奇说，这名男子的家人一直难以从医院获得有关他病情或下落的任何信息。

戴维斯告诉记者，奥斯汀警方没有参与此次行动或枪击事件，枪击事件发生在一次交通拦截之后。

负责监管美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）的国土安全部没有参加新闻发布会，也没有立即回应有关细节的请求。

奥斯汀市长、民主党人柯克·沃森表示，他希望市警察局参与调查，以便在此过程中提供“清晰的第三方视角”。沃森说，他认为美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）单独进行调查并不合适。

沃森表示，奥斯汀居民“有权在自己的城市感到安全”。他还补充说，进行适当的调查只会增强公信力。

当被问及奥斯汀当局是否知道涉事联邦特工的下落时，鉴于此前全国各地都曾发生过特工在枪击事件后离开所在州的事件，市长表示：“我们不知道。但我希望，卷入警员枪击事件的特工不会离开这座城市，当然更不会离开这个州。”

戴维斯表示，她目前还不清楚枪击案受害者的国籍。这位警长说，事发不久，她能提供的具体信息有限，但她补充说，警局的特别调查组已经赶到现场。

抗议者聚集在枪击案​​现场

枪击事件发生地点聚集了大量执法人员，以及大约100名抗议者。一些示威者对着手持防暴盾牌的警察破口大骂，而其他人则高声呐喊，过往车辆鸣笛声援抗议活动。一名男子举着一块牌子，一面写着“没有人是安全的”，另一面则写着“移民和海关执法局纳粹”。

代表奥斯汀部分地区的民主党众议员格雷格·卡萨尔呼吁在调查枪击事件的过程中保持透明。

“这场恐怖事件竟然蔓延到我们家门口，真是太可怕了，”卡萨尔告诉记者。“为了奥斯汀的安全，移民及海关执法局（ICE）应该停止在这里的行动。”

枪击事件发生之际，美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）今年夏天加大了在全美的执法力度，7 月和 8 月的逮捕人数首次超过 5 万人。

7 月，一名 ICE 官员开枪打死了 52 岁的休斯顿居民洛伦佐·萨尔加多·阿劳霍。当时，联邦特工驾驶着没有标记的车辆追赶他，而他正带着自己的建筑队前往工地。