A U.S. attorney in Texas unveiled additional information Thursday about the fatal shooting of a Mexican-born resident by an immigration enforcement officer in early July. The new account raises questions about the Department of Homeland Security’s original narrative regarding the incident.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, on July 7 as he traveled to a construction site near Houston with three co-workers, including his brother. The killing prompted demonstrations across the city and intensified demands from his family for public accountability regarding what occurred.
Salgado Araujo’s relatives have characterized him as a dedicated worker approaching the completion of legal residency paperwork after spending 35 years in the United States. His death occurred amid a broader federal immigration enforcement initiative under President Donald Trump’s administration, following similar incidents in Florida and Maine.
Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, stated Thursday that immigration agents had been pursuing two Guatemalan nationals facing potential removal. He explained that officers mistakenly believed Salgado Araujo and his passengers matched the description of those men.
Four officers in separate vehicles activated police lights to stop Salgado Araujo’s van. According to Reitz, Salgado Araujo executed a U-turn and crossed a median to avoid the initial stop attempt.
Officers encountered the vehicle again later and attempted a second traffic stop, this time positioning themselves to prevent escape. Two agents exited their vehicles and ordered Salgado Araujo to shift into park, Reitz said.
As one agent stood “partially inside the van or immediately next to it,” Salgado Araujo reversed and then moved forward again, Reitz explained. An officer then discharged his firearm, fatally striking Salgado Araujo.
The Department of Homeland Security’s initial statement claimed Salgado Araujo weaponized his vehicle by ramming it into a law enforcement vehicle and that an officer fired in self-defense. Reitz’s updated account made no reference to any collision between the van and police vehicles.
Reitz also did not explicitly state that the officer feared for his safety, a significant departure from the agency’s self-defense justification. No officers sustained injuries in the encounter.
The prosecutor’s office has not identified the officer who fired the fatal shot or clarified whether that person was positioned adjacent to or partially inside the vehicle. Salgado Araujo’s brother remains in ICE custody following the incident.
Reitz noted that officers discovered “several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance” visible in the van. The FBI subsequently obtained a search warrant to examine the contents for possible drug offenses.
The brother’s legal representative countered that the white substance was an electrolyte salt mixture the men consumed to remain hydrated while performing strenuous outdoor construction work in extreme Texas temperatures.
Unlike other deaths stemming from immigration law enforcement operations, minimal photographic or video documentation of the Houston shooting has circulated through social media platforms.
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