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Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE officer in Texas undergoes surgery to remove bullet from back

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Cite

TOI World Desk. (2026, October 2). Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE officer in Texas undergoes surgery to remove bullet from back. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/venezuelan-delivery-driver-shot-by-ice-officer-in-texas-undergoes-surgery-to-remove-bullet-from-back/articleshow/134641572.cms

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

Times of India · collected 2026-10-02 · by TOI World Desk

Quick Summary

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver, underwent surgery on Thursday to remove a bullet that had been lodged in his back since September 20 when he was shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas. Prosecutors have charged him with assaulting and resisting a federal officer; if convicted of assault, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Garces Perez disputes the official account, claiming that his car was struck by an SUV before he was shot, while supporters have pushed for medical treatment due to concerns about long-term effects from the bullet’s location near his spine.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On September 20, Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver, was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas. He sustained serious injuries including a bullet lodged near his spine and a fractured clavicle. Federal prosecutors charged him on September 29 with assaulting, resisting, interfering, or impeding a federal officer. Garcés Pérez underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his back nearly two weeks after the shooting on October 2. He appeared in court in a wheelchair on Wednesday, wearing a sling on his arm, and remains under ICE custody. His lawyers had sought medical treatment for him due to concerns about potential permanent damage or sepsis if he did not receive surgery soon.

Written for “Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE Charged with Assault” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Venezuelan Man Shot by ICE Charged with Assault
Crime & Law · 14 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 43% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE has surgery to remove bullet Same event
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
Venezuelan man shot by ICE has bullet removed 11 days later Same event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 6 of 22 claims Outlet record 70/100
Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Texas is charged with assault Same event
BBC News
Hedges 6 of 20 claims Outlet record 68/100
Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer in Texas is charged with assault Same event
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 5 of 31 claims Outlet record 60/100
DoorDash driver shot in back by ICE agents charged with assault for striking officer with side mirror Same event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 9 of 36 claims Outlet record 68/100
Venezuelan national shot by ICE officer in Austin charged with assaulting federal officer Same event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 12 of 26 claims Outlet record 69/100
Judge keeps immigrant delivery driver shot by ICE in custody for alleged assault Different event
NBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 9 of 32 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles describe the same incident involving Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez being shot by an ICE officer, Article A focuses on a court ruling and charges against him, while Article B discusses his medical treatment. They are related but distinct events.”
Justice Department charges Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer in Austin Different event
The Straits Times
Hedges 3 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles describe the shooting incident involving Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, they refer to different aspects of the event - Article A covers his court appearance after being charged with assaulting federal officers, while Article B focuses on his medical treatment for a bullet lodged in his back.”
DOJ charges Venezuelan man shot by ICE agent with assaulting an officer Different event
CBS News
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles refer to Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and the incident involving an ICE officer, Article A discusses his charging with assaulting a federal officer after being shot, while Article B focuses on him undergoing surgery for the bullet removed from his back.”
Venezuelan man shot and wounded by ICE agent in Texas is charged with assaulting an officer Different event
NBC News
Hedges 4 of 28 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez being shot by an ICE officer in Texas, Article A focuses on his charges for assaulting a federal officer, while Article B reports on his surgery to remove the bullet from his back. These are separate but related events.”
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
43%
6 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
Times of India's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
14
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Times of India · 3858 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-05
NASA spacecraft gains 3.5 km/s speed from Earth’s gravity assist without major engine burn
2026-10-04
Tennessee prison chief Frank Strada resigns after Christa Pike's botched execution

Who wrote this

TOI World Desk
1289 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 At first, Kim could not understand what was troubling the animal.
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🔮 What might appear to be an extraordinary endurance challenge is also a personal statement about the possibilities that can emerge after a life-changing accident.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Irish man walks 3,000 miles across US after 5% chance of recovery
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by TOI World Desk
US couple's fence extends nine feet into neighbour's land, court rules in their favour
2026-11-01 · Times of India
Safari West's 400-acre wildlife preserve enters a new nonprofit era after decades of conservation
2026-11-01 · Times of India
Injured queen bumblebee becomes an online sensation
2026-11-01 · Times of India
Kennel Worker Challenges £1.1m Will After 34 Years Caring for Crufts-Winning Dogs
2026-11-01 · Times of India
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 1289 articles by TOI World Desk →

Topics

Austin ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement Texas Venezuelan

Subjects

ICE ORG · 5× Garces Perez PERSON · 4× Austin GPE · 2× Guardian ORG · 1× Immigration and Customs Enforcement ORG · 1× Texas GPE · 1× Trump PERSON · 1× Venezuelan NORP · 1× Wilber Rafael Garces Perez PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Garces Perez was taken to a hospital after the shooting but was later transferred to ICE custody with the bullet still lodged near his spine.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 His lawyers and supporters had sought medical treatment, warning that the bullet's position could affect sensation on the left side of his body.
2026-10-02 · Times of India
Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE officer in Texas undergoes surgery to remove bullet from back · mixed framing

Claims (14 extracted, 6 hedged)

A Venezuelan delivery driver who was shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas, underwent surgery on Thursday to remove a bullet that had remained lodged in his back for nearly two weeks, according to his legal team. uncertain
that → shoot → team
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot by an ICE officer on September 20 after he allegedly fled a traffic stop. uncertain
he → shoot → stop
The Guardian reported that the bullet was successfully removed and that Garces Perez is recovering in the custody of the US Marshals. asserted
Perez → report → Marshals
Garces Perez was taken to a hospital after the shooting but was later transferred to ICE custody with the bullet still lodged near his spine. asserted
bullet → take → spine
His lawyers and supporters had sought medical treatment, warning that the bullet's position could affect sensation on the left side of his body. uncertain
position → seek → body
He appeared in federal court in a wheelchair on Wednesday, with his left arm in a sling. asserted
arm → appear → sling
Federal prosecutors have charged him with assaulting and resisting a federal officer. asserted
prosecutors → charge → officer
If convicted on the assault charge, he could face up to 20 years in prison. uncertain
he → convict → prison
According to federal prosecutors, ICE officers encountered Garces Perez while checking license plates and found that he had a final removal order. uncertain
he → accord → order
After a traffic stop, he allegedly drove away, with his side-view mirror striking an officer in the torso. uncertain
mirror → drive → torso
The officer later shot him in the back after a brief vehicle pursuit. asserted
officer → shoot → pursuit
The ICE officer who fired the shot was not wearing a body camera. asserted
who → fire → camera
Garces Perez has disputed the authorities' account, saying a law enforcement SUV struck his car and caused it to spin before he was shot. asserted
he → dispute → car
The case has drawn protests in Austin over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies and the conduct of federal officers. asserted
case → draw → officers
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