A Venezuelan migrant has shared his harrowing experience following a shooting incident involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, spoke from the Pearsall detention facility, revealing that he is suffering from significant pain and has a bullet lodged near his spine.
The Incident Unfolds
The distressing encounter occurred while Garces Perez was in the middle of a DoorDash delivery on Sunday. He described the moments leading up to the shooting, stating that a vehicle approached him aggressively. Initially, he assumed it was just a reckless driver. In an attempt to clarify the situation, he signaled the ICE officers to pull over. However, they denied his request and reportedly side-swiped his vehicle before firing at him.
“I am not doing well due to the gunshot wound, and I have not received the medical attention that I require,” Garces Perez expressed through an interpreter. He recounted that the officers only activated their lights and sirens after the collision occurred.
Concerns Raised About Medical Care and Investigation
Garces Perez indicated that he remains uncertain about the number of shots fired during the incident and claimed that he received minimal medical assistance right away. “An officer got into my car and forcibly turned it off. I told him I was in a lot of pain, and I thought I was going to pass out,” he said. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, highlighted that an initial statement from the Department of Homeland Security inaccurately suggested there was a foot chase involved, which Garces Perez refuted.
In response to the incident, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson expressed his outrage, emphasizing that the people of Austin have the right to feel safe within their community. He criticized ICE’s operational methods, reflecting broader concerns about the agency’s actions in various cities.
Video footage from a bystander shows Garces Perez slumped in the driver’s seat after the shooting, where he commented that he was shot for not stopping his vehicle. The footage also captures his immediate aftermath as officers tend to him.
The ongoing investigation into the shooting has raised questions about whether body cameras were in use during the encounter, and city officials have expressed their lack of access to the crime scene due to ICE’s management of the situation.
As Garces Perez recovers in detention, his lawyer reaffirmed his legal status in the country, citing an active asylum application. The events of that day have left many in the community feeling unsettled and eager for clarity surrounding the incident.
