We are currently ON-THE-GROUND covering growing protests in Austin, Texas in the aftermath of ICE’s reckless and criminal shooting of Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez. This continues our ON THE GROUND ICE terror coverage across the country—in a year and a half we have reported on the front lines from LA, NYC, NJ, FL, Chicago, Charlotte, Minneapolis, & Maine. To be real: we need to add more paid members to continue funding this critically important ON-THE-GROUND reporting. Please SIGN UP today as a Status Coup member for as low as $5 bucks a month. You can also DONATE any amount.
We’re learning alarming details that indicate ICE agents ambushed Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garcés Perez on September 20th, recklessly shot him in the back, dragged him out of his car and handcuffed him with a bullet lodged in his back, and then failed to provide emergency medical care.
Heartbreakingly, all of this has led to Garcés Perez being partially paralyzed on the left side of his body, according to his attorney.
“Wilber is doing terribly,” his attorney told CNN.
WATCH MY VIDEO UPDATE ABOVE and leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Other new details we are learning about what seems to be a variety of illegal actions by ICE—and highly questionable actions by doctors who cared for Wilber after the shooting.
After being shot in the back by ICE, agents dragged him out of his car and handcuffed him with a bullet still lodged in his back (risking further injury or potential paralysis).
Doctors did not remove the bullet from Wilber’ back as it was too close to his spine; nonetheless, ICE removed him from the hospital after just 4 hours—with a bullet still lodged in his back.
Doctors and ICE agents left his room to discuss his condition away from him—essentially hiding his condition from him (his wife and attorney were also blocked from seeing him)
Doctors and ICE discharged Wilber from the hospital without pain medication.
The day after he was shot, Wilber told his attorney he was still bleeding.
If these details didn’t infuriate you enough, here’s the fascist cherry on top…
SHOCKER, ICE lied about the reason for shooting Wilber (not that any reason they offered would be believable).
ICE originally claimed Garcés Perez led and agents chased him by foot, but according to Garcés Perez, his attorney—and video footage—he never exited his car and was trying to make a U-Turn to find a parking spot to stop for the ICE vehicle when he was shot.
Here is what happened, straight from Garcés Perez.
“He was driving on Anderson Lane to do a DoorDash delivery when an SUV rode next to him and tried to hit him,” a translator said from a press conference on September 21st as Garcés Perez spoke to her via phone from an ICE prison.
“He thought it was an aggressive driver, turns out it was not; he asked the ICE officer if he could please at least pull over so that they can detain him. They said no, they sideswiped him basically. He did a U-turn to try and find a spot to park so that he can go with them—and they basically ran into him and then shot him.”
How’s this for Making America Great Again?!?
We will continue to report ON THE GROUND on this government-sponsored domestic terrorism—putting ourselves at risk so you can see the growing fascism infecting America. And reminder: we are CURRENTLY ON THE GROUND in Austin, Texas covering protests in the aftermath of ICE ambushing and now paralyzing Garcés Perez.
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