ICE officer who shot man in Austin was issued a body cam but wasn’t wearing it
An ICE officer involved in the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Austin was not wearing his issued body camera, though another officer present captured partial footage. The victim is currently in immigration custody, but a judge has temporarily blocked his deportation.
Why it matters
The incident raises significant questions regarding police accountability, the use of body cameras by federal agents, and the intersection of criminal investigations and immigration enforcement.
AUSTIN, Texas — The ICE officer who shot a Venezuelan man in Austin on Sunday, leaving a bullet lodged in his back, was issued a body camera but was not wearing it during the shooting, two officials with the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News. The officials said it was not clear why the officer was not wearing his body camera. Another ICE officer who was in the same vehicle was wearing a body camera, the officials said. That camera captured partial footage of the incident, but the footage does not include the moment of the shooting, the officials said. Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, was shot early Sunday afternoon by an ICE officer while making deliveries as a DoorDash driver.
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