Austin, Texas — ICE Officer Shoots Man During Foot Pursuit

A blue Toyota Corolla sat near the intersection of Research Boulevard and Anderson Square in North Austin, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, its passenger-side door dented and its rear window punched through with bullet holes. Inside the wreckage was the aftermath of an encounter between an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and a man now hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Austin Police Department.

The man is in serious but stable condition, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a press conference Sunday, adding that details remained preliminary. He was shot during a foot pursuit, Davis said, after an ICE vehicle struck his car.

What happened during the pursuit?

Austin City Councilmember Mike Siegel, who said he witnessed the aftermath, told ABC News that an ICE Ford Expedition rammed the side of the Toyota before an officer got out and opened fire. "An ICE officer got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots, at least two of which were visible to me as bullet holes in the rear passenger window," Siegel said. He said a federal immigration officer fired "at least two shots" at the man.

Austin Police referred all questions about the shooting to ICE. The agency had not responded to ABC News' request for comment as of Sunday evening. The Texas Department of Public Safety also had not responded to inquiries.

Why was local police kept from the scene?

Siegel said Austin police were not permitted to investigate despite the shooting occurring within city limits. "The crime scene was entirely controlled by ICE ... HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as state police, Department of Public Safety, and so the city police were not being permitted to conduct a crime scene investigation," he told ABC News.

The arrangement leaves the only law-enforcement review of the shooting in the hands of the federal agency whose officer fired the shots, along with state police. City officials have not said whether they are pursuing legal avenues to compel a local review.

What do officials say about accountability?

Siegel said he is working with city officials to prevent the officer involved from leaving Texas before an investigation concludes. "I am extremely concerned that we cannot trust the federal law enforcement agencies to conduct a full and fair investigation, as evidenced by prior incidents in other parts of the country, including Minnesota, where ICE officers who committed similar crimes were allowed to leave the state," he said.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat whose district includes Austin, wrote on X that "the horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning," and called for "a full, independent investigation, immediate release of the body camera footage, and accountability for any ICE officer who broke the law."

Neither ICE nor DPS had issued a public statement addressing the councilmember's or congressman's characterizations by the time of publication, and ABC News said it was still awaiting comment from both agencies.

How does this compare with other ICE-involved shootings?

Siegel's reference to Minnesota points to a pattern city officials say concerns them: federal officers involved in shootings during immigration operations departing the jurisdiction before local authorities can complete a review. ABC News has separately reported on a fatal ICE-involved shooting in Maine in which the man killed was not the intended target of the operation, underscoring the scrutiny such incidents have drawn nationally as ICE activity has expanded into cities not previously known as enforcement flashpoints.

Timeline of Sunday's incident

• Sunday afternoon: An ICE vehicle strikes a blue Toyota Corolla near Research Boulevard and Anderson Square in North Austin.
• Moments later: An ICE officer exits the vehicle and fires at least two shots during a foot pursuit, per Siegel's account.
• Shortly after: The man is transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the torso; he is listed in serious but stable condition.
• Same day: Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis briefs reporters, saying details remain preliminary. Austin police say they are barred from processing the scene, which is under ICE, HSI, and DPS control.
• Ongoing: Councilmember Siegel says he is pressing to keep the officer in Texas pending investigation; Rep. Casar demands body camera footage and an independent review. ICE and DPS have not yet responded publicly.

The case remains under review by federal and state authorities, and no timeline for the release of body camera footage or an official incident report has been announced.

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