politics
ICE Officer Kills Mexican Immigrant in Houston Traffic Stop
@CBSNews reported that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, died July 7 after an ICE agent shot him during a Houston traffic stop. Federal and local authorities are investigating conflicting accounts over whether the van posed a threat or contained drugs.
Jul 16, 5:30 PM·2m read4 sources
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An ICE officer shot and killed 52-year-old Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a traffic stop in Houston on July 7. The Department of Homeland Security said Salgado Araujo weaponized his work van, prompting the shooting, and that he was in the U.S. illegally though not the target of the preceding operation.
DHS has not disputed that he lacked a criminal record. DHS and the Justice Department are investigating the shooting. The FBI is separately reviewing a potential assault on a federal agent. The Harris County District Attorney and Texas Rangers have opened their own probes.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said he is more than prepared to file charges against ICE agents if he finds criminal wrongdoing. Teare stated that the allegation the van contained drugs is inconsistent with information he has received. On Tuesday the FBI revealed in court papers that it was investigating whether drugs were in the van.
An FBI agent wrote in a search warrant application that he saw several bags containing a white crystal-like substance he believes is consistent with methamphetamine. Teare's office is filing paperwork to obtain visas for the three witnesses so they are not deported while the investigation continues. The witnesses remain detained by ICE in Texas facing deportation.
Family attorney Ruby L. Powers said the substance was granulated salt used by outdoor workers as a homemade electrolyte mix with lemon and water. Less than a week after the Houston shooting, an ICE officer fatally shot 25-year-old Colombian immigrant Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero during a traffic stop in Maine.
On Tuesday ICE paused most vehicle stops pending review. On Wednesday, after President Trump publicly criticized the moratorium, agents were told they could resume vehicle stops and arrests. Salgado Araujo had lived in the U.S.
For over three decades. His sons Ronaldo Salgado and Lorenzo Salgado Jr. learned of his death through online reports and described their efforts to reach the scene and their father's emphasis on honest work and family.
