An upset crowd gathered on an Austin street following a shooting involving ICE that left a man seriously injured. People were seen holding their phones and flags as tensions rose. According to the police, initial reports suggest the man was shot in the torso after a brief foot chase with ICE agents. He’s currently in serious but stable condition in the hospital.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Police Chief Lisa Davis, and Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz confirmed ICE’s involvement during a news conference, emphasizing that the details shared were preliminary. The EMS was notified of the shooting just after noon, arriving within five minutes. The injured man was transported to a trauma center shortly thereafter.
Davis mentioned that there had been a short foot pursuit before the gunfire, although she noted she hadn’t received a complete briefing from federal authorities yet.
“From what I’ve gathered, there was a small foot pursuit,” she said, reiterating the early nature of the information. Mayor Watson expressed his anger, describing the incident as creating unnecessary fear and chaos, and he questioned whether ICE could effectively investigate itself without local input.
During the press briefing, Watson insisted that the city aims to be transparent and will provide answers to the community, stressing the need for caution regarding information from social media platforms.
Rep. Greg Casar from Texas took to social media, asserting that ICE was responsible for the shooting and demanded a thorough, independent investigation along with the release of body-camera footage. He voiced concerns about a troubling trend in ICE’s behavior, saying, “They’ve arrested 5-year-olds…and now someone has been shot. This has got to stop.”
As of now, officials have not revealed the identity of the victim or the full circumstances leading to the incident, which comes amid heightened tensions surrounding federal immigration enforcement nationwide.
Protests related to ICE operations have also been reported across various states, highlighting growing scrutiny on their practices following other violent encounters.
