Key facts
- Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston.
- The Department of Homeland Security claims Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, and the agent fired in self-defense.
- Three passengers in the van dispute the official account of the incident.
- An FBI affidavit indicates the presence of a white substance appearing to be meth in the van.
- An attorney for Salgado Araujo's brother claims the substance is a homemade electrolyte mix.
- The family is holding a public vigil for Salgado Araujo.
The family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Houston, is holding a public vigil. The incident, which occurred last Tuesday as Salgado Araujo was driving his construction crew to a job site, has intensified scrutiny on President Donald Trump's immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and the agent acted in self-defense. However, three men who were in the van with Salgado Araujo dispute this account. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed the state's top law enforcement unit to investigate the shooting.
More than a week after the shooting, court records reveal the FBI is investigating whether drugs were found in the van, based on a search warrant application. FBI Special Agent David McNeilly stated in an affidavit that he observed four plastic bags of a white substance appearing to be methamphetamine inside the vehicle. The Department of Homeland Security has not confirmed if suspected drugs were the reason for the traffic stop. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz emphasized that information is preliminary and the investigation is ongoing.
An attorney for Salgado Araujo's brother, who was detained by ICE after the incident, stated that the powder is a homemade electrolyte mix used by the crew for hydration in the Texas heat. The attorney called for testing of the substance and asserted that even if it is illicit, it does not justify the use of deadly force.