The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!
The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!

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ICE agent shoots migrant in Austin — Mexican flag waving foreigners TAKE OVER the street

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BS BULLETIN:

  • An ICE officer shot a 28-year-old Venezuelan man during an enforcement operation in Austin on Sunday.
  • DHS says the man was in the country illegally and had a final removal order; his attorney says he was making a DoorDash delivery when the encounter occurred.
  • Austin Democrats are demanding body-camera footage and an independent investigation into what led to the shooting.

An ICE officer shot and wounded a Venezuelan migrant during an immigration enforcement operation in Austin on Sunday, setting off protests and competing accounts over exactly what happened.

The man has been identified by his attorney as 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez.


(Video Credit: ABC News)

The Department of Homeland Security says Garces Perez entered the United States illegally during the Biden administration and was subject to a final order of removal.

DHS said Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the FBI, is investigating the officer-involved shooting and that Garces Perez is now in federal custody pending removal.

But several major questions about the encounter remain unanswered.

Austin police said the shooting occurred shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday in North Austin. Garces Perez was shot once in the torso and transported to a trauma center in serious but stable condition.

ABC News reported overnight that Garces Perez was working as a DoorDash driver and was in the process of making a delivery when he encountered ICE. DoorDash confirmed to ABC that he was completing a delivery at the time.

Video obtained by ABC reportedly shows Garces Perez sitting wounded in his vehicle surrounded by federal officers. In Spanish, he can be heard saying he was shot because he did not “brake.” The video later shows officers cutting away his shirt, revealing a wound on his back.

Precisely what happened immediately before the ICE officer fired remains under investigation.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said preliminary information suggested there may have been a brief foot pursuit, while the Texas Department of Public Safety said ICE requested assistance with a vehicle pursuit at approximately 12:50 p.m. DPS troopers arrived after the shooting had already occurred.

Austin City Council member Mike Siegel offered another account, alleging that a federal officer rammed Garces Perez’s vehicle before getting out and firing multiple shots.

That allegation has not been independently established.

Austin police were not involved in the ICE operation or the shooting.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, quickly demanded the release of body-camera footage and an independent investigation.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson also called for local authorities to participate in the investigation, arguing that the city needs independent access to the evidence.

“Austinites have a right to know what happened,” Watson said.

Protesters gathered near the scene Sunday, and demonstrations continued into the evening. Authorities eventually made arrests after Texas state troopers deployed pepper balls into part of the crowd, according to local reporting.

Garces Perez was later released from the hospital and transferred into ICE custody, according to his attorney.

His attorney initially said she believed he did not have a final removal order, contradicting DHS. She subsequently told the Associated Press that she did not know his current immigration status.

For now, DHS’s account of Garces Perez’s immigration status and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain important pieces of an investigation that is still developing.

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

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