A 28-year-old Venezuelan man named Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas, while working as a DoorDash delivery driver. According to his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, ICE agents sideswiped his vehicle before an officer opened fire.

Following the shooting, Perez was briefly taken to a hospital. However, his lawyer stated that he was rapidly discharged and transferred to an ICE detention center approximately 130 miles away with a bullet still lodged in his back near his spine, because doctors determined it was too close to his spinal cord to safely remove.

Perez and his legal team disputed the government’s account of the incident, stating that officers did not use flashing lights or sirens initially and that he was simply trying to find a place to pull over. While in detention, Perez reported severe pain and a lack of proper medical care. His attorneys later stated that he was taken back to a hospital after experiencing partial paralysis on the left side of his body, and they have filed legal actions seeking his immediate release and to halt potential deportation. The Department of Homeland Security stated that it is investigating the incident and that Perez is in custody pending removal.