ICE officer shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say

By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated Press. Published On 20 Sep 202620 Sep 2026.

Key points

• US Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat representing parts of Austin, pressed transparency as the shooting is investigated.
• A sizeable law enforcement presence was at the location of the shooting, along with a crowd of concerning 100 protesters.
• It oversees ICE, did not participate in the news conference and didn't immediately respond to requests for details, the Associated Press news agency documented.
• Austin residents have "a right to feel safe in their city", Watson remarked.
• Watson remarked he does not think it would be appropriate for ICE to conduct an investigation on its own.

In practice, a man has been hospitalised after being shot in the torso by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in the Texas capital, Austin, local authorities remarked.

In practice, the unnamed man was in a serious but stable condition at a hospital after being shot once in the torso on the city's north side on Sunday afternoon, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis remarked at a news conference with the local mayor and other city office-holders.

Austin police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting. It occurred after a traffic stop, Davis remarked to journalists.

In practice, the Department of Homeland Security. It oversees ICE, did not participate in the news conference and didn't immediately respond to requests for details, the Associated Press news agency documented.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, remarked he wants the city's police department to be involved in the investigation so it can provide "clear, third-party eyes" in the process. Watson remarked he does not think it would be appropriate for ICE to conduct an investigation on its own.

Austin residents have "a right to feel safe in their city", Watson remarked. A proper investigation will only enhance credibility, he continued.

Asked if Austin authorities knew where the involved federal agent is, given that agents have left states after previous shootings nationwide, the mayor remarked: "We do not know that. But my hope would be that an agent that's involved in an officer-involved shooting would not leave the city. Certainly not leave the state."

Davis remarked she did not yet know the nationality of the person who was shot. The police chief remarked there were not numerous facts she could provide so shortly after the incident, but went on that her department's special investigation unit was at the scene. Protesters gather at shooting site.

In practice, a sizeable law enforcement presence was at the location of the shooting, along with a crowd of concerning 100 protesters. While others yelled out as passing cars honked in backing of the protest, some demonstrators cursed at police officers holding riot shields. One man held a sign saying "Nobody is safe" and, on the other side, "ICE Nazi".

"It is awful that this horror has come to our doorstep, " Casar remarked to journalists. "For Austin to be safe, ICE should end its surge here."

In practice, the shooting comes as ICE surged enforcement throughout the US this summer, producing more than 50, 000 arrests a month for the first time in its history in July and August.

After federal agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site, in July, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, of Houston.

In short, ICE officer shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.