New bodycam footage shows aftermath of ICE officer shooting Venezuelan man in Austin

AUSTIN, TEXAS: The Austin Police Department released three body camera videos Tuesday, September 22, showing what happened after 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Sunday.

Garces Perez was reportedly delivering a DoorDash order when ICE agents pursued him. His attorney and ICE have given different accounts of the events that led to the shooting, while the newly released footage shows the local police response and his arrest.

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez found wounded inside his vehicle

One of the videos captures what sounds like three gunshots. In another, an Austin police officer arrives at the scene and finds Garces Perez hunched over in the driver’s seat. Garces Perez appears to be in pain and is seen grabbing his left shoulder. Officers wearing body cameras then help him out of the vehicle before placing him under arrest.

The footage appears to show local officers assisting Garces Perez from the vehicle rather than pulling him out, a detail that differs from claims that agents dragged him from the car.

An officer is also heard asking for a pair of shears so Garces Perez’s shirt can be cut open to check his injuries.

Austin police officers check Wilber Rafael Garces Perez’s injuries

As officers examine Garces Perez, one asks him in Spanish, “¿Tiene armas?” or whether he has any firearms.

“No,” Garces Perez replies. An officer then appears to assess the injury, saying, “He’s got… looks like one gunshot wound so far.”

The three short videos mainly document the moments after the shooting, including the officers’ efforts to check Garces Perez and take him into custody.

Garces Perez was later released from the hospital, according to ICE, and arrived at an ICE detention facility just hours later. The agency said he slept on a bed there. 

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch and ICE give different accounts

Garces Perez’s attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said her client had been delivering a DoorDash order when he made a U-turn under a highway and ICE agents continued pursuing him.

Lincoln-Goldfinch claimed an unmarked truck chased Garces Perez and sideswiped his vehicle before he was shot.

Authorities confirmed that Garces Perez had a final order of removal. His attorney said he received the order after a hearing notice was sent to his previous address, even though he had updated his address with the court.

ICE has disputed claims surrounding both the shooting and Garces Perez’s legal status. The agency said his work permit expired in 2025 and stressed that having a work permit does not give someone legal status in the United States.

ICE also rejected allegations that Garces Perez was targeted indiscriminately. “This illegal alien was the subject of a targeted vehicle stop,” the agency said.

ICE added that resisting officers and evading arrest can put officers, the person involved and the public at risk, and said such conduct is a felony and a federal crime.