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Man shot by ICE in Texas being interrogated with bullet still in back, attorney says

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Zimmermann, D. (2026, September 21). Man shot by ICE in Texas being interrogated with bullet still in back, attorney says. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4736660/ice-shooting-texas-bullet-lodged-in-spine-federal-custody/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Washington Examiner · collected 2026-09-21 · by David Zimmermann

Quick Summary

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan national shot by an ICE officer during a car stop while making a DoorDash delivery in Austin on Sunday, is being interrogated with the bullet still lodged near his spine. His attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, says that despite Garces Perez's unstable condition and need for medical attention, he remains in federal custody at the South Texas ICE Processing Center. The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the incident, which mirrors recent nonfatal and fatal shootings involving ICE officers.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 20, 2026, an ICE officer shot Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man, during an immigration enforcement operation in Austin, Texas. The shooting occurred near the intersection of Research Boulevard and Anderson Square, where a blue Toyota Corolla was found with bullet holes and damage to its passenger side door. Garces Perez is currently in serious but stable condition at a local hospital after being shot once in the torso.

The incident has sparked demands for an independent investigation and immediate release of body camera footage from ICE officers involved. Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, called for accountability if any officer broke the law during the operation. Meanwhile, federal Judge Orlando L. Garcia temporarily blocked Garces Perez's deportation to allow time for further investigation into the shooting.

Garces Perez entered the U.S. legally in December 2023 but was targeted for deportation due to his expired work permit. His supporters argue that he needs urgent surgery to avoid permanent nerve damage, while ICE maintains it will not slow down its operations in Austin.

Written for “Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE in Texas” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 62 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE in Texas
Politics · 63 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 2 of 31 claims Outlet record 66/100
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
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Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100
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Hedges 2 of 26 claims Outlet record 59/100
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Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
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Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 60/100
Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Texas says he’s in pain and still has bullet in his back Same event
NBC News
Hedges 3 of 39 claims Outlet record 60/100
Texas man shot in the back by ICE says he's "not doing well," returns to hospital Same event
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Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
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Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 38 claims Outlet record 64/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
14
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
2 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
70/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
63
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Washington Examiner · 3836 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

David Zimmermann
116 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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🔮 The purpose of the stunt was to show how easily a person could register to vote on the day of the primary without providing proof of residence under Minnesota’s vouching law, which allows registered voters to vouch for someone who moved to the state.
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Also by David Zimmermann
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 116 articles by David Zimmermann →

Topics

Austin ICE Lincoln-Goldfinch Texas Venezuelan

Subjects

Austin GPE · 4× Garces Perez PERSON · 3× ICE ORG · 3× Lincoln-Goldfinch PERSON · 2× Texas ORG · 2× DoorDash ORG · 1× Immigration and Customs Enforcement ORG · 1× Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch PERSON · 1× Venezuelan NORP · 1× Wilber Rafael Garces Perez PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is leading the investigation into the officer involved shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela, who illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal, during a law enforcement operation today in Austin, TX,” DHS posted on X early Monday.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
2026-09-22 · Washington Examiner
Man shot by ICE in Texas being interrogated with bullet still in back, attorney says · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 2 hedged)

The Venezuelan national who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas, on Sunday is being interrogated while the bullet still remains in his back, according to his attorney. uncertain
bullet → shoot → attorney
As of Monday, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez is being held in federal custody after he was released from the hospital. asserted
he → hold → hospital
The bullet wasn’t removed because it’s lodged near his spine, the 28-year-old man said. asserted
man → remove → spine
Immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch revealed her client’s car was “sideswiped” twice by ICE officers in an unmarked truck on Sunday afternoon when he was making a DoorDash delivery in Austin. asserted
he → reveal → Austin
One of the ICE officers then shot him in the back of the neck before they pulled him from his vehicle, Lincoln-Goldfinch said. asserted
Goldfinch → shoot → vehicle
It remains unclear what prompted the officer to shoot Garces Perez. uncertain
what → remain → Perez
Garces Perez said he was “not doing well” following the gunshot wound and has “not received the medical attention that I require.” asserted
I → say → that
He is being detained at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, about 130 miles southwest of Austin. asserted
He → detain → Austin
Lincoln-Goldfinch said Garces Perez told her that he was being interrogated by federal officers. asserted
he → say → officers
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the nonfatal shooting. asserted
Department → investigate → shooting
“Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is leading the investigation into the officer involved shooting of an illegal alien from Venezuela, who illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal, during a law enforcement operation today in Austin, TX,” DHS posted on X early Monday. asserted
DHS → lead → X
“The illegal alien’s condition is stable, and he is in federal custody pending removal. asserted
he → pende → removal
The incident is reminiscent of two ICE-involved shootings in Minnesota earlier this year, although those were fatal. asserted
those → involve → Minnesota
Since then, there have been similar shootings in Maine and Texas, both of which saw federal officials accuse the suspect of “weaponizing” their vehicle. asserted
officials → see → vehicle
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