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

Updated Sept. 20, 2026, 7:04 p.m. ET

A man was shot and injured by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 20, officials said.

Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckwritz said at a news conference that the department was notified of the shooting at about 12:56 p.m. local time. He said that the man was taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition with one gunshot wound.

The man was not immediately identified.

The Austin American-Statesman, citing the city’s communications office, reported that the injured person was taken to a hospital but was alert and able to speak. “Austin police officers were not involved in the situation, and we do not know what led to the incident,” the city told the newspaper.

Rep. Greg Casar, a Democrat who represents eastern Austin, said in a social media post that “the horror has come to our city” and demanded a “full, independent investigation” as well as “immediate release of the body camera footage.”

“Over and over, ICE has shot people and then lied about what happened,” Casar wrote. “We can see the lies with our own eyes. We will demand truth, transparency and accountability.”

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at a news conference that officials did not know the whereabouts of the ICE officer involved.

“My hope would be that the agent who is involved in an officer-involved shooting would not leave the city, certainly not leave the state,” Watson said. “If you believe in transparency and not just the creation of chaos, that would not be the case either.”

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said she had not been briefed by federal officials about the shooting as of the news conference and had no information about the nature of the operation that led to it. Austin Council Member Mike Siegel told KVUE that the shooting is under federal investigation but added that he wanted the city to be involved.

“My top concern right now is that this gets investigated properly,” Siegel told the station. “I want the city police to also be a part of the investigation so the public has confidence that we’re getting real facts, that there is a proper investigation being conducted.”

USA TODAY reached out to Austin officials and the Austin Police Department for comment. USA TODAY also attempted to reach the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but multiple emails sent to the departments’ publicly available media addresses were rejected.