Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE Agent Receives Paralysis Treatment
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez is a Venezuelan man who was shot during an encounter with immigration agents in Austin, Texas.
He was working as a food delivery driver when the incident happened.
Perez says an agent shot him while he was still in his car.
Police say he ran from the agents, so the accounts differ.
A bullet remained lodged in his back, according to his lawyer.
He was taken to a hospital and later held in an immigration detention center.
On Tuesday, he received hospital treatment for paralysis on his left side before being returned to detention.
Homeland Security says he received medicine and medical care while detained and denies that he had to sleep on the floor.
A local prosecutor asked the government not to deport him while the shooting is investigated.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was hospitalized Tuesday for paralysis affecting his left side after being shot by a federal immigration agent in Austin, Texas.
His lawyer said Perez had spent a night in ICE detention with a bullet lodged in his back and was later returned to the facility.
Perez said he was shot while inside his car during a DoorDash delivery and that the agents did not identify themselves.
Austin police said Perez had run from agents, while Perez denied that there had been a foot chase.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office asked DHS to pause removal proceedings so Perez could participate as a material witness.
- Who
- Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man; federal immigration agents; his lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch; and local authorities.
- What
- Perez was shot during an encounter with immigration agents and was treated for paralysis while in immigration detention.
- When
- The shooting occurred on Sunday; Perez received hospital treatment on Tuesday and was returned to detention later that day.
- Where
- The shooting occurred in Austin, Texas; Perez was held at an ICE detention center about 130 miles southwest of Austin.
- Why
- The reason for the shooting remains under investigation; the Travis County District Attorney’s Office sought to pause removal proceedings so Perez could serve as a material witness.
Perez and His Lawyer
Authorities’ Accounts
How the shooting happened
Perez and His Lawyer
Perez said the agents’ vehicle sideswiped his car, did not identify themselves or activate lights or sirens, and that an agent shot him while he remained inside the car.
Authorities’ Accounts
Austin police said Perez ran from agents; the released body-camera footage shows officers finding him in his car and placing him in handcuffs, but it does not resolve all disputed details.
Conditions in detention
Perez and His Lawyer
Perez said he was still bleeding, lacked adequate medical care, and had to sleep on the floor at the detention center.
Authorities’ Accounts
The Department of Homeland Security denied that he was forced to sleep on the floor and said he received pain medication and other medical treatment.
Removal proceedings
Perez and His Lawyer
Perez’s lawyer and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office sought to prevent his removal so he could participate in the shooting investigation.
Authorities’ Accounts
The reported request was for DHS to halt the proceedings temporarily; the article does not state whether DHS agreed.
- Injuries
- A bullet was lodged in Perez’s back, and he was treated for paralysis on his left side.
- Age
- Perez is 28 years old.
- Occupation
- He said he had been working as a DoorDash food delivery driver.
- Detention location
- He was held at an ICE detention center about 130 miles southwest of Austin.
- Medical care
- His lawyer said he reported inadequate care; DHS said he received pain medication and other treatment.
- Evidence released
- The Austin Police Department released body-camera footage showing officers responding and a gunshot wound to Perez’s upper back.
- Legal request
- The Travis County District Attorney’s Office asked DHS to halt removal proceedings during the investigation.