Garces Perez says he was shot while trying to comply
Person shot by the ICE officer, speaking by phone from immigration custody
“He asked officers if he could stop somewhere safer than in traffic under the freeway; he said an agent refused, then he felt one shot to his back.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The Texas Tribune's detailed account of Garces Perez's version of events: an unmarked SUV sideswiped him twice before he realized it was ICE; he did a U-turn under a freeway; he asked to stop somewhere safer than under the freeway and was refused; he was then shot. It also reports his immigration history (CBP One entry in 2024, asylum application, work permit, a missed hearing after notice went to an old address) and that hospital staff would not remove the bullet because it was too close to his spine.
Reporting
About this source
NBC News reports Garces Perez's account (shot near the clavicle, has not received needed medical attention), Rep. Greg Casar's demand that he be released from the Pearsall detention facility for medical care, and a senior administration official's statement that Garces Perez had no criminal history beyond being in the country illegally.
Before the quotation
The shooting occurred September 20 during an ICE enforcement operation; Garces Perez was transferred into federal immigration custody after hospital treatment.
After the quotation
As of September 22, no public account from the shooting officer or DHS has described what conduct or threat is said to have immediately preceded the shot.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Should ICE's use of force in the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez be condemned or condoned?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case's fixed reference point is whether the officer's use of deadly force against Garces Perez was justified. His account describes attempting to find a safe place to stop, being refused, and then being shot without describing any threatening conduct on his part. This directly disputes that the shooting was justified, rather than merely disputing how it has been characterized by others.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Should ICE's use of force in the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez be condemned or condoned?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full caseACLU of Texas
“This should never have happened in the first place. Wilber and his loved ones deserve answers and accountability.”Read statement
“Even if he did have a final order of removal, he did not deserve to be shot in the back of the neck.”Read statement