Bodycam footage captures moments after ICE shooting of Venezuelan migrant in Austin
The Austin Police Department on Tuesday released body camera footage showing the arrest of an illegal Venezuelan immigrant who was shot moments earlier by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers over the weekend.
Three short videos detail the local police response to the shooting of 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez on Sunday as ICE officers attempted to take him into custody.
In one video, what sounds like three gunshots can be heard. Another clip shows an officer arriving at the scene, where Garces Perez is seen sitting hunched over in the driver's seat of his vehicle and appearing to grab his left shoulder in pain.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were trying to take him into custody in Austin, Texas over the weekend. Austin police bodycam footage released Tuesday shows Garces Perez in his vehicle after the shooting, just before he was arrested. (Austin Police Department)
Officers wearing body cameras assisted Garces Perez out of the vehicle, contradicting claims that he was dragged out by agents, before placing him under arrest.
Another officer is heard ordering someone to get a pair of shears to cut open Garces Perez's shirt to examine his wounds.
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Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was shot by U.S. Immigration (ICE) and Customs Enforcement officers in Austin, Texas over the weekend. (Wilber Garces / Facebook)
"¿Tiene armas?" an officer asks in Spanish, inquiring if Garces Perez has any firearms.
"No," Garces Perez replies.
"He's got… looks like one gunshot wound so far," an officer is heard saying.
Garces Perez was reportedly delivering a DoorDash order when he made a U-turn under a highway before ICE agents continued to pursue him. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, claimed an unmarked truck chased her client and sideswiped his vehicle before he was shot.
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Authorities confirmed Garces Perez had a final order of removal. However, Lincoln-Goldfinch said her client received the order after a hearing notice was sent to his previous address, despite him having updated his address with the court.
ICE has disputed rumors surrounding the shooting and Garces Perez's legal status, noting that his work permit expired in 2025 and that holding one does not confer legal status in the United States.
The agency also stated that Garces Perez was released from the hospital and arrived at an ICE detention facility just hours later, where he slept on a bed. ICE rebuffed allegations that Garces Perez was indiscriminately targeted.
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"This illegal alien was the subject of a targeted vehicle stop," ICE said in a statement. "What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S. Resisting officers and evading arrest is dangerous for our officers, illegal aliens, and the public. We remind the public that resisting officers and evading arrest is a felony and a federal crime. Sanctuary politicians need to stop encouraging this dangerous behavior that puts our officers and the public at risk."
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