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Venezuelan driver shot by ICE officer in Austin charged with assaulting federal officer

Federal prosecutors charged Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, shot by an ICE officer in Austin on 20 September, with assaulting or impeding a federal officer. The complaint says his car mirror hit an officer; he says an ICE SUV struck his car first, and his immigration status is disputed.

13 outlets · 5L · 2C · 6R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 7). New coverage since the last version from Breitbart, IJR.

Image: Newsweek
Image: CBS News
Image: Just the News
Image: The Independent
Image: IJR
Image: NBC News
Image: Washington Examiner
Image: Al Jazeera

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The story, neutrally told

The Justice Department has charged Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, a Venezuelan DoorDash driver, with assaulting, resisting, interfering with and impeding a federal officer, after an ICE officer shot him in Austin, Texas, on 20 September. According to the complaint, officers ran his plate, found a final removal order and stopped him. The exchange was "pleasant and not aggressive", but about a minute later he "abruptly" closed his window and drove off. The complaint says his driver's-side mirror struck an officer, identified as L.G., in the torso. Newsweek noted it did not specify any injuries.

L.G. says he fired because Garces Perez tried to drive into him. Garces Perez told investigators an ICE SUV struck his car and spun it around before he was shot in the upper back. The complaint cites body-camera footage of the initial stop, and three stills were filed, but the footage is unreleased. There appears to be none of the shooting: L.G. wore no camera, and the other officer, D.F., turned his off during the chase. His lawyer, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, says a bullet remains in his body and that he has a fractured clavicle, and has called on DHS to release the footage. DHS says he is receiving adequate medical care.

His immigration status is contested. DHS says he entered illegally; his lawyer says he entered legally through the CBP One app and had a work permit, and was ordered deported after a notice went to an old address. ICE says his work authorisation expired in 2025. A detention hearing in the criminal case is set for 2 October, and an immigration hearing was due on Wednesday. Reuters noted that 31% of completed cases the administration brought for attacking or impeding federal officers ended in dismissal, against 8% of all federal criminal cases.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left5 outlets

Framing
Centres the shooting victim's condition and the unanswered questions about the shooting, and places the case within a run of ICE shootings and the Trump administration's immigration policy.
Emphasis
Medical danger, lawyers' statements, the CBP One background, missing footage and a surprise court appearance.
Leaves out or plays down
Give less weight to the officer's account of the pursuit and to ICE's statement that his work authorisation expired.
Charged language
“grave danger”“playing games with his life”“web of detention”
For example
““We are all laser-focused on making sure that Wilber doesn’t die in custody,”” — NBC News
“Donald Trump’s administration has sought to characterize the shootings as justified before any investigations were performed” — The Independent
“There is no publicly available footage showing the events described in the complaint, including the shooting.” — Al Jazeera

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Newsweek treats it as a breaking news story built on the complaint and the released body-camera stills, with DHS's allegation and Garces Perez's version side by side.
Emphasis
The stills from the initial stop, the absence of shooting footage and the lack of specified injuries.
Leaves out or plays down
Newsweek gives no detail on his immigration status or medical condition, and had no comment from DHS or his lawyer.
For example
“A federal agent on the scene said the Venezuelan man abruptly rolled up his car window and drove away, striking his colleague.” — Newsweek
“The account does not give L.G.'s viewpoint” — Newsweek

Right6 outlets

Framing
Leads with the Justice Department charge and the complaint's account of him refusing commands and driving off, and treats the immigration-status dispute as competing claims.
Emphasis
The charge and 20-year maximum, the removal order, the pursuit, and ICE's statement on his work authorisation.
Leaves out or plays down
Fewer details on his medical condition; the Reuters copy adds the dismissal statistics and the lawyer's request for footage.
Charged language
“targeted traffic stop”
For example
“refused ICE officers' commands to exit his vehicle during a targeted traffic stop before speeding away” — Fox News
“The tried-to-drive-into claim is the officer's allegation in the complaint.” — IJR
“The video has not been released publicly.” — The Straits Times