ICE agent shoots and wounds man at traffic stop in Austin, Texas, officials say

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fired a shot that wounded a man on Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas, local authorities reported. Protests erupted against ICE at the scene, with the unnamed victim in serious but stable condition at a hospital. Austin's police chief, Lisa Davis, stated that the shooting occurred during a traffic stop on the city’s north side.

The Department of Homeland Security did not join the news conference and had not commented on the details. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson advocated for the city’s police department to join the investigation, considering it would provide "clear, third-party eyes." Watson stated that ICE should not conduct the investigation independently, as the city’s residents deserve to feel safe.

The victim’s nationality has not been confirmed, and Davis mentioned that the special investigation unit was on the scene. A dark blue Toyota Corolla with bullet holes was found at the scene, and a crowd of about a hundred protesters gathered, some of them cursing at police officers. Greg Casar, a Democratic congressman representing Austin, called for transparency, urging ICE to end its enforcement surge in the city.

The incident follows several other shootings by ICE officers across the country this summer, including a fatal shooting of a man in Houston last July and another in Maine in July.