An ICE officer shot and seriously wounded a Venezuelan man Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, officials and a law enforcement source said.
The man was taken to a local hospital and is “in serious but stable condition” after being shot in the torso, Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said at a news conference.
The man is in the U.S. illegally and had a final order of removal, the law enforcement source told NBC News.
The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. in North Austin.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sheridan Nolen said the agency received a request for assistance from ICE for a vehicle pursuit involving a blue Toyota Corolla.
A social media video verified by NBC News captures the sound of tires screeching followed by a person exiting a dark-colored SUV as a blue sedan is stopped next to it, both vehicles facing one another.
At least three gunshots are heard as the person approaches the sedan and runs up to it as it slowly lurches forward. The video shows the person standing next to the sedan’s driver’s side as it stops in front of an intersection. The sedan also appears to be damaged on the passenger side.
The shooting occurred before DPS troopers arrived at the scene, Nolen said.
“Once they arrived, DPS Troopers immediately began assisting partner law enforcement agencies in performing medical treatment on the driver of the Toyota Corolla,” she said in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security has not provided any information about whether the ICE agent involved was wearing a body camera or if the man was the target of an operation or has any criminal background other than an immigration violation.
The White House referred NBC News to the DHS for comment. A DHS spokesperson said they “will look into it.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said the Austin Police Department was not involved in the incident.
Police Chief Lisa Davis said a “small foot pursuit” had occurred and that Austin police investigators were on the scene. Davis added that she was in contact with Homeland Security Investigations and other state law enforcement agencies.
“A person being shot on the streets of Austin by someone purporting to be law enforcement, particularly when it’s ICE, is something that causes me to be unhappy and angry,” Watson said at the news conference. “While I’m unhappy and I’m angry about it, I’m not surprised at all.”
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, demanded an independent investigation, the release of body camera footage and “accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law.”
“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened. We can see the lies with our own eyes. We will demand truth, transparency and accountability,” he said in a post on X.
In a letter addressed to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David Venturella, Casar insisted on receiving a Congressional briefing by Sept. 28.
James Talarico, who is running as the Democratic candidate for one of Texas’ U.S. Senate seats, said he is “closely following” reports of the shooting, and requested an investigation and all available footage.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, demanded “full accountability.”
“Trump has allowed ICE to flood our streets and put our communities in harms way again and again,” he said in a post on X.
In reaction to the shooting, the League of United Latin American Citizens — the largest Latino civil rights organization in the U.S. — called on Congress to establish an independent oversight of immigration enforcement.
Watson said he has asked for the city of Austin to be involved in any forthcoming investigations so that the police department can “be in a position to offer clear third-party eyes and expertise”
In a statement, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office requested to be “co-equal partners in the investigation” and to receive cooperation from the federal government.
Protesters who gathered at the site of the shooting on Sunday afternoon and evening, next to an elevated stretch of Highway 183, shouted anti-ICE slogans in English and Spanish. Some carried signs that said, “Stop ICE murder,” “Moms against ICE” and “Abolish ICE.”
The protest was punctuated with the sounds of drums, and someone could be heard saying, “They don’t want you to be here” via loudspeaker.
One woman, who said she has lived in Austin for 33 years, told NBC News that she has never witnessed an incident like this and it “broke my heart.”
The shooting comes two months after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, in Houston during an attempted traffic stop to conduct an immigration arrest. DHS has said Salgado Araujo was in the country illegally and attempted to run over agents, but has not provided evidence of its claims.