ICE Officer Shoots Venezuelan DoorDash Driver in Austin; DHS Says He Had Final Removal Order A Venezuelan DoorDash driver was shot and wounded by an ICE officer in Austin, Texas. Videos show the aftermath as DHS disputes the attorney's account of the incident. A Venezuelan DoorDash driver was shot and wounded by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas, on Sunday just before 1 p.m. local time near Anderson Square and Research Boulevard. The driver, 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was delivering food when he was shot. The Department of Homeland Security said Garces Perez is in federal custody pending removal and that his condition is stable. DHS said Homeland Security Investigations, with the FBI, is leading the investigation into the officer involved in the shooting.DHS also said Garces Perez entered the country illegally under the Biden administration, that his work authorization expired in 2025, and that he had a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge. It is unclear whether he was the target of an immigration operation.Garces Perez was identified by immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, who said in a post on X that he entered the country lawfully through a parole program and was an asylum seeker. DHS rejected those claims in a statement published Monday titled Correct the Record: DHS Debunks False Narratives About Shooting of Illegal Alien in Austin, Texas.Sanctuary politicians and the mainstream media have wasted no time in spreading lies about an ICE officer-involved shooting of an illegal alien in Austin, Texas, Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in Monday's statement. Contrary to their claims, this person is an illegal alien who has no legal status to be here and has been given some of the best medical care he has ever received in his life, Mullin said.No amount of smears and false narratives will slow down ICE from doing its job by removing dangerous illegal aliens from our communities and making America safe again, he added. Sanctuary politicians may continue to shamelessly protect illegal aliens, but the Trump Administration will remain focused on protecting the American people, he continued.DHS also rejected assertions that it interfered with his medical treatment, saying ICE does not direct physicians' decisions and that Garces Perez has received ongoing medical care, including pain medication and hospital treatment. The agency earlier said he is in federal custody pending removal and called the situation developing.Multiple videos shared on social media have revealed more details about the moments surrounding the shooting. An Austin resident, Heidi Ann Clark, was driving by the scene and livestreaming around 12:50 p.m. local time when she heard a fast-moving vehicle slam on its brakes on the other side of the road.Turning her camera, she captured an unmarked SUV stopping near a blue Toyota Corolla believed to belong to Garces Perez. An ICE agent can be seen exiting the SUV and running toward the Corolla while holding a firearm. With a siren blasting in the background, three shots are heard shortly after. The blue car slowly rolls to a stop as the officer approaches.Based on an analysis of Google Maps images, Clark's video appears to have been filmed from the other side of the bridge where the shooting took place. A second video shared by Austin resident Celena Ramos shows the scene after Austin Police Department cars and officers had arrived and cordoned off the area.Another bystander video, shared with Newsweek by the office of Austin Council Member Mike Siegel, shows the aftermath: an agent exits a black vehicle and approaches the car while witnesses confront authorities, repeatedly asking why the man was shot and urging medical help.The wounded driver remains in his seat, grimacing and clutching his chest as onlookers shout that he is dying and question why no ambulance has arrived. As the agent stands near the vehicle holding a phone, witnesses confront him, asking why he did that to him and stating that he is not supposed to be doing that to people.Bystanders shout that he is dying because he was shot and demand medical assistance, asking if an ambulance is coming and noting that there are too many police and no ambulance. After police arrive and ICE agents leave, an officer is heard saying that he shot him, before another asks an agent if EMS is coming.Throughout the video, frustrated bystanders repeatedly tell authorities that they pay taxes and work for them, while another man remarks that America is different. An officer then retrieves medical supplies, cuts away the man's shirt, and reveals what appears to be a gunshot wound to his left shoulder, with blood running down his back.Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said during a news conference on Sunday that the city's police officers were not involved in the shooting and had heard there was a small foot pursuit ahead of the shooting. She admitted to not having the full details yet.Austin Police released dashcam and body camera footage of the incident involving ICE on Tuesday, reiterating in an email to Newsweek that its officers were not involved. Audio is not heard in roughly the first minute of the body-worn camera footage. Officers can also be seen cutting the shirt of the man, revealing an apparent gunshot wound.DoorDash confirmed to Newsweek that Garces Perez was making a delivery at the time of the shooting. The company said it is actively investigating the incident but has no additional details to share at this time. DoorDash also said all Dashers are independent contractors, not employees.In an update issued on Sunday night, Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces Perez's wife was not allowed to see her husband at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, where he had been taken. She said the two women learned he was in stable condition only after Austin Mayor Kirk Watson arrived at the hospital to ask about the man.The attorney said they were told he has likely been brought to a federal detention center. The incident, which took place only a few months after an ICE agent shot and killed a 52-year-old Mexican national, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, in Houston, has angered Austin officials.Watson, a Democrat, said he was very angry and extremely disappointed that a person was shot on the streets of Austin by ICE, adding that he was not surprised. Mentioning the rogue nature of ICE, the mayor called for Austin police to be involved in the investigation, saying he wants them to provide clear, third-party eyes in the process.U.S. Representative Greg Casar, who represents Texas' 35th Congressional District, which includes East Austin, called on social media to prevent the removal of Garces Perez from the country. If ICE deports him, the key witness to their shooting disappears, he wrote on X. He must not be removed from this country, and he must receive proper medical care.The shooting has drawn attention to the actions of federal immigration officers and sparked questions about the use of force. The incident remains under investigation.