The man was hospitalized in serious but stable condition as local officials sought an independent review of the shooting.
AUSTIN, TX — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and wounded a man Sunday afternoon in North Austin, authorities said, prompting a large law enforcement response and calls from city officials for an independent investigation.
The man was shot once in the torso and taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition, according to officials. His name had not been released Sunday evening. Authorities also had not publicly explained what led to the encounter or identified the ICE officer involved.
The shooting happened in the 7000 block of West Anderson Lane near U.S. 183 and Research Boulevard. A dark blue Toyota Corolla at the scene had damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes. Police tape surrounded the area as federal, state and local authorities responded.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Austin police officers were not involved in the shooting. The department’s special investigations unit was at the scene, however, as city leaders sought a role for local investigators in reviewing what happened. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said he wanted a third-party examination of the incident rather than an investigation handled solely by ICE.
Accounts of the shooting remained incomplete Sunday. Two workers at a nearby business told KUT that they heard two gunshots before going outside. One witness said he encountered an ICE officer and an injured man inside a car and asked whether an ambulance had been called. The witness said the officer told him it had. An ambulance arrived shortly afterward.
Austin City Council Member Mike Siegel gave a different account of the number of shots, telling The Associated Press that an ICE officer had rammed the man’s car before getting out of a federal vehicle and firing at least five times. Federal authorities had not publicly confirmed that account by Sunday evening, and the circumstances leading up to the shooting remained under investigation.
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Austin, called for an independent investigation and release of body-camera footage. Watson also said local involvement was important to provide an outside review. Their comments came before federal authorities had released a detailed account of the encounter.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, had not publicly provided a full description of the shooting as of Sunday evening. Earlier reports said ICE was handling the investigation, while Austin police assisted at the scene with traffic control and other duties.
The Austin shooting comes more than two months after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston during an immigration enforcement operation. Investigations into that July shooting have continued. The circumstances in Austin are separate, and officials had not announced any connection between the cases.
The Austin investigation remained active Sunday. Officials had not released the wounded man’s identity, the officer’s identity, body-camera footage or a detailed sequence of events. Additional information was expected as investigators review evidence and determine what led to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated September 20, 2026.