Mother Says Son Told Her He Was Shot By ICE Agents During Video Call After Austin Stop

Wilber Rafael Garces Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan working as a delivery driver, remains in federal immigration custody after being shot while seated in his car during a vehicle stop by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Austin, Texas, his mother told Reuters.

Mother’s account: Flor Pérez said she spoke with her son by video call moments after the shooting. "They crashed into my car and shot me," Garces Pérez told her, she said, and she watched an officer pull him from the vehicle by the arm. Four days later, Pérez said she has not been able to speak with him again.

What the evidence shows

Video released by Austin police does not capture the moment the gun was fired, but does show Garces Pérez injured inside his vehicle and two ICE agents nearby. An Austin officer who responded used shears to cut away part of Garces Pérez’s shirt, revealing a gunshot wound to his upper back.

Venezuelan man Wilber Rafael Garces Perez who was, as per city officials, shot by a federal immigration agent in Austin, Texas, is seen in this handout image taken at an unknown location and obtained by Reuters on September 22, 2026. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez/Handout via REUTERS

A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the federal officer who fired was not wearing a body camera. That officer, who has not been publicly identified, reportedly joined ICE last year after working for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Medical care and detention

Garces Pérez’s wound is reportedly packed with gauze that fills with blood and must be changed frequently, causing him "intense pain," Representative Greg Casar (D-Texas) said after visiting him at an ICE detention facility. Casar said Garces Pérez needs hospital care rather than continued detention.

DHS, ICE’s parent agency, said the incident involved a "targeted vehicle stop" and warned that "resisting officers and evading arrest is dangerous for our officers, illegal aliens, and the public." In an information sheet provided to Reuters, DHS also said Garces Pérez was "receiving medical care around the clock" but did not directly answer questions about why the agent fired.

SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB An Austin Police officer checks the wound of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man who said he had been out working as a DoorDash food delivery driver when shot by a federal immigration agent, during his arrest in Austin, Texas, U.S. September 20, 2026 in a still image from a police body camera video. Austin Police/Handout via REUTERS

Background and legal steps

Pérez told Reuters her son entered the United States from Mexico in December 2023 using the CBP One app and that his work authorization reportedly expires in 2025, making him subject to deportation. He came to the U.S. to support his 7-year-old son in Venezuela, who was born with cerebral palsy.

Garces Pérez’s attorneys have filed a petition asking that he be released from custody so he can participate in the investigation into the shooting and pursue immigration relief. His first hearing before a federal immigration judge in Texas is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Broader context

The shooting is one of several incidents drawing scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement: Reuters reported that federal immigration agents have shot at least 20 people since President Donald Trump returned to office, seven fatally. ICE had pledged to equip agents with body-worn cameras following two fatal traffic-stop shootings in July, and agency leaders set a target to issue body cameras by the end of August.

"What matters to me is that they take him to a hospital and treat him," Flor Pérez said, describing sleepless nights worrying about her son's condition.