Federal Prosecutor Details ICE Shooting of Houston Construction Worker, Contradicting DHS Account

A U.S. attorney in Texas unveiled fresh details Thursday about the July 7 death of a construction worker shot by an immigration enforcement officer, departing significantly from the Department of Homeland Security’s initial account of the incident.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, a Mexican-born construction worker, was fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while driving to a work site near Houston with three coworkers, including his brother. The killing has prompted widespread public outcry and demands from his family for answers about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Salgado Araujo’s relatives have portrayed him as a devoted laborer residing in the United States for 35 years and on the verge of obtaining legal permanent status. The shooting took place amid an aggressive immigration crackdown ordered by the Trump administration, following similar episodes reported in Florida and Maine.

U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz of the Southern District of Texas explained that ICE officers were pursuing two Guatemalan nationals subject to deportation orders. Reitz acknowledged that agents incorrectly identified Salgado Araujo and his passengers as the targeted individuals.

Four officers in separate vehicles activated emergency lights to attempt the traffic stop. According to Reitz’s description, Salgado Araujo performed a U-turn and drove across the median to escape the attempted stop.

Officers later blocked the vehicle at a second location, positioning their cars to prevent any escape. Two agents exited and ordered Salgado Araujo to place the vehicle in park, Reitz stated.

One officer was standing at or partially inside the van when Salgado Araujo moved the vehicle backward then forward, Reitz explained. An agent then fired a fatal shot, killing Salgado Araujo.

The Department of Homeland Security’s initial statement claimed Salgado Araujo had rammed his vehicle into a law enforcement car and that the officer fired in self-defense. Reitz’s account made no reference to any vehicle contact between the van and police cars.

Reitz’s statement notably avoided stating whether the officer believed he faced imminent danger, a significant departure from DHS’s self-defense justification. No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.

The prosecutor’s office has declined to identify the officer who fired the lethal shot and has not disclosed exactly where the officer was positioned relative to the vehicle. Salgado Araujo’s brother remained detained by ICE following the shooting.

Reitz disclosed that officers recovered “several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance” from inside the van. The FBI subsequently secured a warrant to analyze the material for possible drug violations.

According to the brother’s legal counsel, the white substance was an electrolyte salt compound the workers consumed to maintain proper hydration while laboring in the intense Texas summer heat.

Unlike other fatal law enforcement incidents involving immigration agents, the Houston case has generated minimal video or photographic documentation accessible to the public on social media platforms.