Videos show Texas state troopers using pepper spray after demonstrators tried to breach a police line.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2026, 06:35:02 IST

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The shooting of a man by a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Austin, Texas, sparked a tense standoff between protesters and law enforcement on Sunday. Dramatic videos of protests breaking out around the scene of the shooting have emerged.

Austin Police said the man was shot once in the torso by an ICE officer following a traffic stop on the city’s north side. The victim was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition. Authorities have not released his identity or nationality.

Protesters pepper-sprayed

By Sunday evening, roughly 100 protesters had gathered near the shooting scene. Protesters shouted at officers carrying riot shields while passing motorists honked in support. Some protesters held signs criticizing ICE and federal immigration enforcement.

Videos circulating on social media showed protesters confronting officers near the scene. One clip shared by conservative commentator Nick Sortor appeared to show a group rushing toward a police line. As the crowd pushed forward, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers used pepper spray on them forcing the crowd to retreat.

Sortor wrote, “Texas State Troopers doused them in pepper, forcing them to INSTANTLY RETREAT. THAT'S how it's done. This ain't Minnesota!”

.com could not independently verify the circumstances leading up to the confrontation.

Another widely shared video from FOX news posted by Brian Krassenstein showed demonstrators gathering after the shooting. A small group of protesters are seen on the pedestrian path holding flags and boards as police stands in front of them.

Krassenstein wrote, “These officers are not properly trained, many are white supremacists and Trump appears to want this.”

Austin officials seek independent investigation

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said city officers were not involved in the federal immigration operation or the shooting itself. She added that the department’s Special Investigations Unit was processing the scene while investigators worked to establish the sequence of events. Officials said few details were immediately available because the investigation remained in its early stages.

Photographs from the scene showed a dark blue Toyota Corolla parked beneath an overpass with damage to its passenger-side door and what appeared to be bullet holes. The vehicle was later towed away after investigators completed their initial work.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called for transparency and said the city’s police department should participate in the investigation to provide “clear, third-party eyes.” He added that it would not be appropriate for ICE to investigate the shooting alone.

Watson also said that officials did not know the location of the ICE officer involved. He further expressed hope that the agent would remain available for investigators and not leave Austin or Texas while the inquiry continues.

The Austin shooting follows several recent ICE shootings that have drawn national attention. In July, ICE officers fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo near Houston after pursuing him in unmarked vehicles. Another ICE officer shot 25-year-old Colombian national Johan Sebastián in Maine during a separate enforcement operation.

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