Man shot by ICE agent in Texas treated for paralysis in left side, lawyer says

Man shot by ICE agent in Texas treated for paralysis in left side, lawyer says

Wilber Rafael Garces Perez says he was delivering food when agents sideswiped car

A Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration agent in Austin, Texas, was treated at a hospital on Tuesday for paralysis on his left side after he had spent a night in ICE detention with a bullet lodged in his back, according to his lawyer.

The man, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was then returned to the detention facility more than 200 kilometres southwest of Austin later on Tuesday, his attorney, ​Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said.

Lincoln-Goldfinch said in a written reply to ​Reuters' questions on Tuesday afternoon that Perez was back at an ICE detention centre.

During a news conference on Monday, Lincoln-Goldfinch introduced a man who ​phoned in as Perez, who said he had been transferred to ⁠the detention facility on Sunday after a few hours in the hospital following the shooting.

On the Monday call, Perez, 28, said that he was still bleeding and was not receiving adequate medical care.

"I'm not doing ⁠well because of the gunshot I received," he said in Spanish. He added that he had to sleep on the floor at the detention centre but did not explain.

The U.S. ‌Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, denied in a Tuesday statement that Perez was forced to sleep on the floor and also said that he had been receiving pain medications and other medical treatment while at ​the detention centre.

Agents didn't identify themselves: Perez

The Austin Police Department on Tuesday released body-cam footage that showed its officers responding to the incident.

In one video, Perez is seen inside his car as two ICE officers stand nearby. He tells police that his shoulder hurts, ​and he is told to exit the vehicle and is then placed in handcuffs. A police officer then uses shears to cut away ⁠his shirt, revealing a single gunshot wound to his upper back.

Perez said he had been out working as a DoorDash food delivery driver on Sunday when ⁠his car was sideswiped by the agents, who he said did not identify ⁠themselves or turn on any sort of lights or siren.

Perez said that an ⁠agent ⁠shot him while he was ​still in his car and that there had been no foot chase. Austin police ​said on Sunday that he ⁠had run from agents.

The Travis County District Attorney's office on Tuesday requested that DHS halt removal proceedings against Perez while the investigation into his shooting continued, saying his ability to participate as a material witness would be "severely hindered" if he were deported.