‘Kill Donald Trump’ graffiti sprayed at scene of Austin ICE shooting
A masked protester was filmed spray-painting “Kill Donald Trump” on a bridge in Austin, Texas, near where a Venezuelan man was shot and wounded by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent while delivering food for DoorDash.
The site near Anderson Square and Research Boulevard has been the center of protests since Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was shot on Sunday. A photo taken on Monday shows a pillar covered with graffiti reading “F*** ICE,” “F*** Donald Trump,” “Kill all pedos,” “Kill Donald Trump” and “It doesn’t stop with Epstein.” At the bottom of the column, “Talarico” is spray-painted with a heart, adding “love winz.”
The circumstances of the incident that led to the shooting are unclear. Garces Perez’s attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said her client’s blue Toyota Corolla was “sideswiped” twice by ICE officers in unmarked vehicle. She said he was shot and taken to hospital but later released into ICE custody with a bullet still inside him. She said he is “now experiencing left side paralysis.”
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson called Garces Perez an “illegal alien who illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal” in a statement to Newsweek on Sunday. The shooting occurred “during a law enforcement operation,” according to the department.
Lincoln-Goldfinch said her client was an asylum seeker who entered the U.S. through a parole program. She said in a post on X that he “was issued a valid work permit” and the “issue regarding the deportation order is that he moved and changed addresses.”
In a video statement emailed to Newsweek Monday night, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the department is conducting a sound investigation into the shooting, as investigators gather physical evidence, review video footage, interview witnesses and work with federal, state and local partners to determine what occurred.
She urged anyone with photos, videos or information to come forward, stressing that investigators will follow the evidence rather than speculation. Davis also said Austin police will continue to provide updates as information is verified and legally releasable.
The graffiti sparked backlash on social media from right-wing commentators. Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, wrote on X: “The legacy media that was just kicked out of the White House would have you believe the people who spray paint ‘Kill Donald Trump’ are the loving, tolerant ones.”
Conservative influencer Nick Sortor wrote: “THIS SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED! Federal agents should be SWARMING their houses tonight. NO MERCY!”
Meanwhile, the shooting has led to calls for action from Democratic lawmakers. James Talarico, a Democratic Texas state representative who is running for the U.S. Senate in the Lone Star State, called for an independent investigation into the shooting and the release of all video footage available.
He wrote on X on Monday: “Wilber came to this country legally. He has no criminal record. An ICE agent shot him anyway. He slept on a prison cell floor with a bullet still lodged in his back. He can’t move the left side of his body. This isn’t law enforcement. It’s lawlessness.”
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, said that he was “very angry and extremely disappointed that a person was shot on the streets of Austin by ICE.” He called for the Austin police to be involved in the investigation, saying he wants them to provide “clear, third-party eyes” in the process.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
