Published September 20, 2026 at 4:24 PM CDT

A man was injured in a shooting by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer near the intersection of U.S. 183 and Anderson Square in North Austin.

The shooting happened just before 1 p.m. Sunday.

The injured man is 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, according to his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch.

KUT News spoke to two people who work at a business nearby, who said they heard two gunshots and went to see what happened. One witness encountered an ICE agent and a man in a car who had been shot in the back. The witness said he asked if an ambulance had been called and the agent said "yes."

An ambulance arrived a short time later.

The man was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in stable condition, according to city officials. His lawyer says he was released from the hospital into ICE custody.

Lorianne Willett / KUT News

A blue car with damage to its passenger-side door was seen at the scene of a shooting by an ICE agent in North Austin on Sunday afternoon.

Protesters gathered at the scene in the hours after the shooting. Police responded to the protest, using chemical agents to disperse the crowd. Police left the scene around 6 p.m., while many protesters remained.

At a City Hall news conference, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson was quick to stress that Austin Police were not involved in the shooting. He added that he was "angry" about the shooting, but was not surprised, given how "ICE is doing its business these days."

Watson said he wanted APD to be involved in the investigation of the shooting to offer a "clear-eyed, third-party look" at what happened.

"This has happened in the city of Austin, the city of Austin deserves answers on what occurred. ... We're going to get all those questions answered and we're going to be as transparent as we can be," Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said.

ICE has not yet responded to requests for information about the shooting.

Federal immigration agents have shot people in other cities this year, including in Houston, Minneapolis and Biddeford, Maine.

"This is a pattern. This is a disturbing pattern," said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who represents parts of Austin.

This is a developing story

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