Flowers and candles are left near the site of where a Venezuelan national was shot and wounded during a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation a day earlier in Austin, Texas, on September 21, 2026. Venezuelan migrant Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez, 28, was rushed to a hospital after he was shot on September 20 by a US immigration agent, local officials said, voicing outrage and demanding an investigation into what happened. The man was in stable but serious condition with one gunshot wound to the torso suffered during a foot pursuit, the officials said, stressing that information on what occurred was "very preliminary." (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)
The Austin Police Department has released a partial video of Wilber Rafael Garcs Prez being arrested after he was shot by an ICE agent. The agent was reportedly issued a body camera, but was not wearing it when he shot.
An ICE agent shot Wilber Rafael Garcs Prez on Sunday, September 20, in Austin, Texas, as he sat inside his vehicle. As reported by The Shade Room, Prez is a DoorDash delivery driver who was working when he was shot below the neck in his back.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis released a partial video on Tuesday, September 22, from the body cam of a police officer as he arrived at the scene, per the Associated Press. The disturbing video captured the authorities removing a wounded Prez from his car and handcuffing him. In addition, the footage shows the authorities forcing him to sit down as he bleeds.
The video also captures officers cutting the back of the 28-year-old’s shirt and revealing the bullet wound in his back. According to NBC News, the ICE agent who shot Prez was not wearing a body camera. However, the Department of Homeland Security told the outlet that the agent was issued a body cam.
Prez was taken to the hospital but released and sent to the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas, with the bullet still lodged in his back. The bullet is reportedly near his spine.
NBC News shared another video reportedly captured by a bystander. A police officer asked the woman recording if she’d seen what occurred, and she replied in Spanish.
“They just shot him because he didnt want to stop,” she said, per NBC News. “This is unjust.”
According to ABC 7 News, Prez was making a delivery when his car was twice “sideswiped” by ICE agents driving an unmarked truck before being shot. Furthermore, he said that the ICE agents didn’t turn on any flashing lights or ask him to stop until after they hit his car. DHS claims that he entered the country illegally and had a final order of removal. However, Prez’s lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, says he entered legally in 2024 and has a work permit.
Prez added that he was attempting to make a U-turn and park when ICE rammed his car and shot him.
“I am not doing well due to the gunshot wound,” he said by phone during a press conference. “And I have not received the medical attention that I require.”
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch noted on Instagram that Prez still has bruising, swelling, and is “in a lot of pain.” In addition, he reportedly has a fractured clavicle from the gunshot.
“We now understand that the gunshot fractured his clavicle and that he has significant swelling and is wearing a sling,” Lincoln-Goldfinch wrote. “We still do not have clarity about the cause or extent of the loss of movement he experienced.”
Lincoln-Goldfinch shared the video on Instagram on Tuesday, September 22, with the caption:
“Wilber must be released from isolation and given proper medical care immediately.”
