Venezuelan Man Charged With Assault After Shooting by ICE Officer

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot by an ICE officer in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 20 and charged with assaulting, resisting, interfering and impeding a federal officer. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He faces up to 20 years if convicted. ICE officers pulled him over and asked him to step out. Per the complaint, he drove away and struck an officer's torso with his side mirror. The officer, identified as L.G., chased him. The complaint alleges Garces Perez tried to drive into the officer, who fired and shot him in the upper back. The officer who fired wore no body camera; another agent's camera was off during the pursuit. Contested: Reuters lists him as 28; Newser as 29. The tried-to-drive-into claim is the officer's allegation in the complaint. He was briefly hospitalized, still has the bullet and a fractured clavicle per attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, and is held in Pearsall, Texas. His wife Elizdar and Lincoln-Goldfinch held a news conference in Austin on Sept. 21. Lawyer and supporters say he needs urgent medical care. He appeared in federal court Tuesday.