A Venezuelan man who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas, remains in federal detention with a “bullet lodged near his spine.”
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, spoke with his attorney by phone from the Pearsall detention facility, about 130 miles from Austin. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, who represents him, said he was taken there around 4 a.m. Monday after being treated following Sunday’s shooting.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces Perez remains in significant pain and has not received the medical attention he needs. During the news conference, Garces Perez said that doctors left the bullet in his body because it was close to his spine.
Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery when the encounter with ICE officers occurred, according to his attorney.
According to the account provided by Lincoln-Goldfinch, an SUV pulled alongside Garces Perez’s vehicle and attempted to hit him. He initially believed he was dealing with an aggressive driver before realizing the people inside were ICE officers.
Garces Perez’s attorney said the officers asked him to pull over so they could detain him. According to his account, the officers did not initially use their lights or siren and the vehicles made contact.
Garces Perez then made a U-turn while looking for a place to pull over. He said the ICE officers then struck his vehicle again before opening fire.
He also said officers did not immediately attend to his injuries. According to his account, one officer entered his vehicle and turned it off while he told the officer he was in severe pain and thought he might pass out. Emergency medical personnel later arrived.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said she had previously been unable to determine where Garces Perez had been taken before learning that he was being held at the Pearsall facility.
She also said that Wilber also has a son with a disability who lives in Venezuela and requires regular medical tests and therapy. The treatments create ongoing expenses that Garces Perez helps cover.
The Department of Homeland Security said Sunday that Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the FBI, is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.