Casar Urges ICE to Allow Surgery for 28-Year-Old Venezuelan Shot in Austin

Q: Why was the officer's issued body camera missing during such a critical law enforcement pursuit?

It is not publicly known why the ICE officer who fired was not wearing his issued body camera. DHS officials have confirmed that the officer had been issued a camera but was not wearing it during the Austin operation. Multiple reports, including NBC News and CBS reporting cited in the background material, say officials could not explain the omission. So far, no agency has publicly said whether it was a policy violation, a training lapse, an equipment issue, or an individual decision. What is known is that another ICE officer in the same vehicle was wearing a body camera, but that footage captured only part of the encounter and not the shooting itself. Austin police have also said there remains a 10- to 15-minute gap between the initial stop and the gunfire, which investigators are still trying to reconstruct with surveillance, dashcam, and public video. The absence of the shooter’s body camera footage is especially significant because ICE policy requires cameras to be activated during routine enforcement activities such as arrests and emergency responses. The case is now under review by federal investigators, including Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, while local authorities and outside officials continue pressing for the full preservation and release of evidence. In short, the camera was missing from the critical moment because the officer was not wearing it, and authorities have not yet provided a verified reason why.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 23

Greg Casar said Wednesday that Wilber Rafael Garces Perez needs surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his back near his neck after an ICE agent shot him during a Sunday traffic stop in Austin.
Casar, who visited the 28-year-old at an ICE detention center in Pearsall, Texas, said a doctor had advised surgery but Garces Perez was returned to detention after two hospital visits.
Garces Perez received a painkiller injection Wednesday that brought his first relief since the shooting, Casar said; he was using a wheelchair and wearing a sling on his left arm.
The case has intensified scrutiny of ICE after surveillance video of the chase surfaced and the man's lawyer said earlier that he was gravely ill in detention.