<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan national, was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. According to his attorney, he is currently being interrogated while a bullet remains lodged in his back.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As of Monday, Garces Perez is in federal custody after being discharged from the hospital. The bullet was not removed due to its location near his spine, as stated by the 28-year-old.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch reported that Garces Perez's vehicle was sideswiped twice by ICE officers in an unmarked truck while he was making a DoorDash delivery. One of the officers subsequently shot him in the back of the neck, although the reasons for the shooting remain unclear.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Garces Perez expressed that he is not feeling well following the gunshot wound and has not received the necessary medical attention. He is currently detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, approximately 130 miles southwest of Austin. Lincoln-Goldfinch mentioned that Garces Perez is being interrogated by federal officers.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating the nonfatal shooting.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">DHS stated on social media that Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is leading the investigation into the shooting incident involving Garces Perez, who had previously entered the country illegally and had a final order of removal. They noted that his condition is stable and that he is in federal custody pending removal.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This incident follows two ICE-related shootings in Minnesota earlier this year, which were fatal. Similar shootings have also occurred in Maine and Texas, where federal officials accused suspects of weaponizing their vehicles.</p>