The Austin Police Department released body-camera video Tuesday showing the arrest of 28-year-old Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who had been wounded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an attempted arrest over the weekend.
The three brief recordings capture Austin police responding Sunday after ICE officers shot Garces Perez while trying to take him into custody.
One clip appears to capture the sound of three gunshots. In another, an officer arrives to find Garces Perez hunched over in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, clutching or reaching toward his left shoulder as if in pain.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot in Austin, Texas, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers attempted to arrest him over the weekend. Body-camera footage released by Austin police Tuesday shows him inside his vehicle shortly after the shooting and before his arrest. (Austin Police Department)
Police officers wearing body cameras helped Garces Perez out of the vehicle and then arrested him. The footage appears to conflict with claims that ICE agents physically pulled him from the car.
In the video, one officer asks for shears so Garces Perez’s shirt can be cut open and his injuries examined.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, a Venezuelan national living in the United States illegally, was shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Austin, Texas, over the weekend. (Wilber Garces / Facebook)
“¿Tiene armas?” an officer asks in Spanish, questioning Garces Perez about whether he has any weapons.
“No,” Garces Perez answers.
“He’s got … looks like one gunshot wound so far,” an officer says.
Reports say Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery when he turned around beneath a highway and ICE agents continued following him. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, alleged that an unmarked truck pursued and sideswiped his vehicle before officers opened fire.
Officials confirmed that Garces Perez was under a final removal order. Lincoln-Goldfinch, however, said the notice for the hearing that led to the order was mailed to an old address, even though her client had updated his information with the court.
ICE has challenged reports about the shooting and Garces Perez’s immigration status. The agency said his employment authorization expired in 2025 and emphasized that a work permit by itself does not provide lawful immigration status in the United States.
The agency said Garces Perez was discharged from the hospital and taken to an ICE detention center several hours later, where officials said he was provided a bed. ICE also rejected accusations that he was selected without cause.
“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.”
