Texas officials have demanded an independent investigation after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a man in north Austin on Sunday 20 September.
The man was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition after the incident near Anderson Square and Research Boulevard. Local authorities said Austin police were not involved in the shooting, which followed a traffic stop and a brief foot pursuit, according to preliminary information.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at about 12.56pm. Austin-Travis County EMS chief Rob Luckritz said paramedics arrived within three and a half minutes and took the injured man to a trauma centre within nine minutes of their arrival.
The victim, whose identity has not been released, suffered a gunshot wound to the torso. Officials have not said whether he was the target of the ICE operation or provided further details about what led to the shooting.
Calls for independent investigation into ICE shooting
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said the city had a responsibility to establish what happened and confirmed that the police department’s Special Investigations Unit had been sent to the scene.
Mr Watson said he had asked Texas Rangers to assist, citing the involvement of the Texas Department of Public Safety during the early stages of the incident. He also said Austin residents had a right to feel safe in their communities and to know how the shooting occurred.
The Travis County district attorney’s office called for Austin police and prosecutors to be treated as “co-equal partners” in the investigation, saying federal authorities should provide access to the evidence.
“It is critical that all the facts come to light and that an independent investigation be completed,” the office said, warning that the incident may have involved violations of state law.
Investigators from the Austin Police Department, the Texas Rangers and Homeland Security Investigations are expected to examine the shooting, while ICE is conducting its own inquiry. No arrests had been reported.
Austin police chief Lisa Davis said the department had not initially been briefed by federal authorities about the operation. Officers at the scene helped close roads and manage traffic, while local investigators worked to establish the sequence of events.
Several elected Democrats also called for transparency, including the immediate release of available body-camera footage and accountability for any officer found to have broken the law.
US Representative Greg Casar said he was seeking “truth, transparency and accountability”, while Texas House Democrats said residents deserved a full investigation and greater oversight of federal immigration agents.
Austin city council member Mike Siegel said witnesses had described at least five shots and damage to a vehicle at the scene. His account of the circumstances has not been independently confirmed by investigators.
Officials have not released the man’s nationality, further details of his injuries or information about the ICE operation. The investigation remains in its early stages.
