HOUSTON—A federal prosecutor has released new details about the fatal shooting of a Houston father by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, providing an account that differs from the government's initial description of the incident and adding to scrutiny surrounding the case.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, a Mexican national who had lived in the United States for decades, was shot on July 7 while driving a van carrying three co-workers, including his brother, to a construction site in Houston. The shooting has prompted protests, calls for greater transparency and multiple investigations.
In a statement released Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Aaron Reitz said federal officers had been searching for two Guatemalan men believed to be driving a similar white van and potentially subject to deportation. According to Reitz, officers believed Salgado Araujo and his passengers matched the description of those individuals.
Reitz said officers first attempted to stop the van, but Salgado Araujo made a U-turn and drove over a median. Officers later surrounded the vehicle and ordered him to put it in park. Reitz said one officer was "partially inside the van or immediately next to it" when Salgado Araujo attempted to reverse and then drive forward, at which point the officer fired. He said no officers were injured and emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.
The updated account did not repeat an earlier Department of Homeland Security statement asserting that Salgado Araujo had struck an ICE vehicle before the shooting, a claim disputed by family members and witnesses traveling in the van.
Federal authorities also said investigators found bags containing a white crystalline substance in the van, prompting an FBI investigation. Salgado Araujo's relatives and attorney have said the material was a homemade electrolyte mixture used by construction workers during extreme heat, not an illegal drug. Authorities have not publicly identified the substance.
The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and state and local authorities are investigating the shooting. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare has said his office is conducting an independent criminal investigation and has raised questions about aspects of the federal inquiry, including the handling of evidence.
No officer has been publicly identified or charged, and authorities have not announced any findings regarding whether the use of deadly force was justified. The investigations remain active.
