The wildest part of this Sunday mess is that the man in the car was not shot five times. A city councilman claimed ICE agents side-swiped a vehicle and fired five rounds through the back window. That story spread like wildfire and filled the streets with angry people. But the police said that tale is flat-out false.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis set the record straight at a media briefing. She said an agent shot the man just once in the torso. The victim is a 28-year-old Venezuelan migrant named Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. He was in a “small foot pursuit” under a highway overpass before the gun went off. Chief Davis said he is now in serious but stable condition.
🚨 BREAKING: Following an ICE-involved shooting in Austin, the Austin Police Chief is DEBUNKING the left’s BS narrative in real time
An Austin City Councilman said ICE sideswiped the subject and then shot him 5 times through the back window
Austin PD calls this FALSE: “That’s… pic.twitter.com/INl5eLe0yj
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 20, 2026
Mayor Kirk Watson admitted the city does not have the full picture yet. He told reporters, “there are a lot of things that we don’t know.” The shooting happened around 12:56 p.m. on Sunday at the 8000 block of Anderson Square. Emergency crews arrived in just three and a half minutes. They moved the patient to a trauma center within nine minutes of their arrival.
Despite the clear facts, the false story about five bullets fueled the fire. This mix of lies and truth is what turned a police incident into a street riot. The RedState reported that “dozens and dozens” of protesters flooded the North Austin streets. They clashed with officers and blocked major roadways for hours.
🚨 BREAKING: A group of “protestors” just attempted to RUSH THE POLICE LINE at the scene of the ICE-involved shootlng in Austin
So Texas State Troopers doused them in pepper, forcing them to INSTANTLY RETREAT
THAT’S how it’s done. This ain’t Minnesota! 🔥 https://t.co/B4SoSnUQRD pic.twitter.com/wzWrt7L1tg
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 20, 2026
People were throwing water bottles and rocks at cars trying to get through. Some protesters even stole police tape and barricades to trap hundreds of motorists on a ramp. Texas State Troopers had to step in and use pepper spray to push the crowd back. It was a scene of absolute lawlessness that left drivers stranded.
🚨 BREAKING: Rioters waving foreign flags are BLOCKING MAJOR ROADWAYS in Austin following an ICE-involved shooting
They’ve stolen police tape and barricades to block roads, trapping several hundred motorists on a ramp
TEXAS STATE TROOPERS MUST INTERVENE! Because Austin PD sure… pic.twitter.com/SzhiWjswet
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 20, 2026
Mayor Watson said he is “very angry about this” and “extremely unhappy.” He noted that people being shot by federal agents is a pattern he has seen before. He called for local police to join the investigation because “Austinites have a right to know what happened.” He believes the city deserves answers.
The attorney for the man, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said she cannot see her client. According to her statement to the New York Times, she and the spouse of the man are prevented from seeing him. It remains unclear whether he is still located at the hospital or if he has been transferred into ICE custody. This lack of access adds to the confusion and anger.
🚨 We’re seeing absolute LAWLESSNESS tonight in Austin because @SecMullinDHS took FIVE HOURS to confirm the subject was an ILLEGAL with a FINAL ORDER OF REMOVAL
That gave leftist activists HUGE amounts of time to create their OWN narrative
It’s now TOO LATE to debunk the lies.… pic.twitter.com/apsTXCoXls
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 21, 2026
It seems the delay in confirming the facts gave the wrong narrative time to take root. A DHS source told Fox News the man had a final order of removal. The New York Post reported he was an alleged illegal immigrant. But the initial silence from officials let the five-shot story run wild.
Mayor Watson warned that the community has seen this play out in other cities. He said, “The city of Austin deserves answers.”We’re going to get all those questions answered, and we’ll be as transparent as we can be, he promised. Yet the damage to the streets was already done before the truth came out.
My message to folks speaking out about ICE’s shooting of a man in Austin today: pic.twitter.com/2rF8IxrA8P
— Congressman Greg Casar (@RepCasar) September 21, 2026
